Drivers in Kamloops woke to police advisories on March 9 after authorities warned that highways around the city were extremely icy and hazardous. The broader development: closures and slow-moving traffic on the Coquihalla Highway, a snowfall warning for Highway 5, and ongoing DriveBC and RCMP updates that have left transport trucks backed up and residents cautioned to prepare.
Kamloops drivers and Tk’emlups Rural RCMP urge limited travel
At 12: 00 pm ET on March 9, Kamloops and Tk’emlups Rural RCMP asked the public to travel on local highways only if absolutely necessary because conditions were treacherous. S/Sgt. Del Byron stated, “The Coquihalla [Highway] is now open following a closure due to a jack-knifed semi truck. ” She added that transport trucks remained backed up on the highway leaving Kamloops.
RCMP also asked residents to clear dirt, ice and snow from their vehicles, keep an emergency kit and share travel plans and routes with someone they trust. These specific steps targeted motorists preparing to move on roads described as extremely icy in the advisory issued that morning.
Coquihalla Weather and DriveBC updates on Highway 5
DriveBC posted multiple updates through the morning. At 10: 30 am ET on March 9, DriveBC said southbound traffic on the Coquihalla Highway from Hope to Merritt was expected to resume at around 10: 30 am ET. Earlier that night DriveBC first reported a vehicle incident on Highway 5 at around 4: 15 am ET, and southbound traffic remained halted in the early Monday hours while an assessment was underway.
Traffic managers listed a detour Highway 1 from Kamloops to Cache Creek as an available option while crews worked. The rush of updates, closures and the jack-knifed semi truck created backups of transport trucks leaving Kamloops, a particular strain on drivers trying to travel the corridor.
For motorists tracking coquihalla weather, the DriveBC timeline and the RCMP messages made clear that conditions and the status of southbound lanes were changing through the morning.
Environment Canada snowfall warning for Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt
Environment Canada issued a snowfall warning for the Coquihalla Highway from Hope to Merritt on March 9, forecasting 15 to 20 centimetres of snow for the stretch of Highway 5, with periods of heavy snow at times. flurries were expected to taper off Monday night, and it attributed the snowfall to an upper low.
The closure and the morning advisories followed an afternoon in which police reported numerous crashes late Sunday afternoon amid snowfall on the Coquihalla Highway between Kamloops and Merritt. That sequence—heavy snow, multiple crashes, a jack-knifed semi and halted southbound traffic—explains why officials warned drivers to prepare and limit travel.
Another update from DriveBC is due at 9: 00 am ET, and Kamloops drivers will be watching that bulletin to learn whether highway restrictions will change. For now, residents in Kamloops are left with the simple, concrete steps RCMP recommended: clear windows, pack an emergency kit and share travel plans as agencies continue their assessments.
