Winter arrives in B.C.'s southern Interior

Winter weather arrived Thursday morning in the southern interior. Snowfall warnings are in effect for the South Thompson and Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt.

Alyssa Charbonneau, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, said the combination of Arctic air that's arrived in southern B.C. and the moist air coming off the Pacific Ocean has created a heavy, wet snow in parts of the interior.

Highway passes will see 20 to 30 centimetres of snow today and tonight, but precipitation will taper off near midnight tonight, according to Charbonneau.

"The cold air is just moving into place," Charbonneau told CBC's Daybreak Kamloops, adding that cold temperatures are expected to stick around after the snow end, persisting through the weekend and beginning of next week.

• Brrr! Arctic front tracks across B.C. dropping temps, bringing snow

Environment Canada does not expect the Cariboo to see much snow, if any, but cold temperatures and windy conditions are predicted.