Coquihalla could see up to 50 cm of snow by Wednesday night: Environment Canada

A winter storm warninghas been issued for the Coquihalla Highway, with up to 50 centimetres of fresh snow expected before the end of the day Wednesday.

The agency said said 40 to 50 centimetres of snow is expected to continue through Tuesday night, before tapering off Wednesday morning.

DriveBC is warning commuters to prepare for quickly-deteriorating conditions on the roads.

The Highway was closed for several hours overnight, but has reopenedbetweenHope and Merrittafter to multiple vehicle incidents.

Environment Canada also posted a winter storm warningfor Highway 3 from the Paulson Summit to Kootenay Pass, which could see as much as 35 centimetres of snow.

Snowfall warnings have also been issued for mountain passes including Allison Pass on Highway 3, as well as Eagle Pass to Rogers Pass on Highway 1, with 25 centimetres expected by the end of Tuesday.

On the South Coast, rainfall warnings remain in effect for Howe Sound and the Fraser Valley, with Environment Canada forecasting about 50 millimetres in those areas.