Highways contractor Mainroad has advised that they anticipate a fair amount of snow in the East Kootenay over the next 24 hours.
Mainroad’s meteorological service is predicting snowfall starting overnight Friday night across the service area. The weather event is forecast to end on Saturday at varying times across the service area, with accumulation levels varying as well.
Western areas of the Service Area (Yahk- Cranbrook- Kimberley- Invermere) are expected to receive approximately 5-10cm of snow before late morning to noon Saturday. In those areas south of Canal Flats, Road surface temperatures are then expected to warm up, which could form slush and cause a hazard.
Elk Valley areas (Elko- Fernie-Sparwood-Elkford) are expected to receive accumulation approximately 10-15cm before mid-afternoon Saturday.
Drivers may have noticed Mainroad equipment applying anti-ice chemicals to major roadways over the past couple of days, and the chalky white lines on the road surface as a result. This pre-treatment will assist with snow removal during the weather event by preventing ice from bonding to the surface. It will also help us to achieve clear road conditions much faster, once the event ends. Mainroad’s liquid anti-icing program explained | FAQ
Drivers can expect to see our crews commencing snow removal operations and applying anti-icing chemicals and/or winter abrasive throughout the East Kootenay Service Area during the event. This will continue after the event ends, until local highways are returned to the acceptable standard.