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Warming centres opened in Elko and Sparwood
We hate to pile on (pun intended) but prepare to hunker down for at least another 24 hours, East Kootenay residents and visitors, as Mother Nature has another round of storming for us.
Environment Canadaās winter storm watch in the Elk Valley has been replaced with a snowfall warning. The forecast is calling for an additional 15-35-cm of snow by this evening with strong, gusty winds expected to reduce visibility due to both heavy snowfall and blowing snow.
Drivers are asked to postpone any non-essential travel. Cranbrook RCMP has also asked the driving public to hold off on travel whenever and wherever possible.
A snowfall warning has been issued for the East Kootenay north including Invermere and is continued for the Cranbrook/Kimberley area.
Environment Canada is calling for total snowfall today of 15-35-cm by this evening. The wind is expected to pick up today and could result in limited visibility due to localized blowing snow.
Meanwhile, the estimated 40 to 60 plus centimetres of snow that has fallen already has effectively shut down normal operations throughout the region.
BC Transit in the Elk Valley and Cranbrook are not running today.
School District No. 5 (SD5) has cancelled all classes for the remainder of today and Tuesday. No busses are running in SD5 and parents are being asked to get their children.
However, public schools in School District No. 6 remain open, though some bus routes in SD6 are not running. Contact your school district to confirm which routes are affected.
Some of the private schools in the region are closed and College of the Rockies has cancelled classes for the day in Cranbrook, Creston and Fernie.
The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) offices are open and all transfer stations are open as scheduled.
āBig shout out to our staff, many of whom walked or skied in to the office today to make sure we could open our doors,ā noted RDEK communications director Loree Duczek.
The City of Cranbrook and the City of Kimberley have canceled today’s garbage collection services. Cranbrook has every public works staff member working on battling the roughly 50 cm of snow that has fallen in the past 48 hours and the city earlier this morning put out a public request, seeking people to help with the mammoth task of clearing snow away.
City of FernieĀ Public Works crews are out in full force plowing local roads and request the public to assist by parking vehicles in your driveway or in compliance with the Parking Policy.Ā
Highways update
Highway 3 is closed in both directions from Elko to 10 km west of Fernie because of high avalanche hazard. Ā Avalanche deposit removal is in progress. Estimated time of opening is at 4 p.m.
A warming centre has been set up at the Elko Community Hall (pictured above) across from the fire hall for travellers.
Highway 3 is also closed in both directions at the B.C./Alberta border due to heavy snowfall and low visibility in Alberta, and has been since yesterday afternoon.
Eastbound traffic is being held at Sparwood until highway re-opens. Estimated time of opening is unknown at this time and there is limited visibility with blowing and drifting snow throughout the entire corridor.
Travel is not recommended. The warming centre in Sparwood has been moved from Fire Hall #1 to the Sparwood Leisure Centre.
A travel advisory has been issued from Kimberley to Wasa Junction due to limited visibility with blowing and drifting snow. Travel is not recommended unless absolutely necessary.
Some flights are being cancelled at Canadian Rockies International Airport in Cranbrook today. If you are scheduled to fly, check with your carrier.
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