Atmospheric River to bring Rain to North Coast; Snow to Bulkley Valley

Travellers heading inland towards the Bulkley Valley will get their first taste of winter today, as an atmospheric river of precipitation delivers snow to the inland areas of the Northwest, with Smithers and area currently under a Snowfall Advisory, the first of the season.

The snow which his already falling appears to start to stick around the Witset/Moricteown area is expected to bring up to 15 centimetres to the Bulkley Valley before the weather system moves on.

Snow has already started to fall in the Witset area, with up 15 cm
expected through the Bulkley Valley today

The heart of the oncoming flow is what is called an atmospheric river, which delivers a lengthy stream of precipitation to a swath of the British Columbia coast. The current system originates from just north of Hawaii, the snow inland comes as it clashes with the colder air from the North over the Bulkley Valley area.

A steady stream of precipitation is heading the way of the Northwest,
with rain for the coast, snow for the Bulkley Valley

For the North Coast, the weekend is shaping up to be wet one as well, with Periods of Rain to start today with no real break in the forecast until next week.

The arrival of snow means changing road conditions across the region, you can access up to date road information from Drive BC through their website and twitter feed.

As well, you can check out the road conditions ahead through our archive of highway cameras, which charts the Highway 16 corridor from Haida Gwaii through to the eastern end of the Bulkley Valley.

For more items of note on weather events see our archive page here.