Up to 15 cm of snow in forecast for Coquihalla Highway by Tuesday night

An image from a DriveBC camera near the Coquihalla Summit on Oct. 24, 2023, is shown. (DriveBC)

It's late October on the calendar, but it's already winter on highways in B.C.'s Southern Interior.

The first snow of the season fell on the mountain passes on highways 3 and 5 Monday evening, prompting a special weather statement from Environment and Climate Change Canada.

By late Tuesday night, as much as 15 centimetres of snow was expected along the Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt and on Highway 3 between Hope and Princeton, according to ECCC.

Snowfall totals between five and 10 centimetres are expected on Highway 5 between Merritt and Kamloops and on the Okanagan Connector between Merritt and Kelowna, the weather agency said.

"Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions," the statement reads. "Rapidly accumulating snow could make travel difficult over some locations. If visibility is reduced while driving, slow down, watch for tail lights ahead and be prepared to stop."

Winter tires are required on many B.C. highways between Oct. 1 and April 30 each year.

With some DriveBC highway cameras looking like a winter wonderland Tuesday, the provincial agency shared a reminder of that requirement, noting that acceptable tires must have at least a 3.5 millimetre tread and either "M+S" or a snowflake-and-three-peaked-mountain symbol.

Drivers caught without winter tires can be fined $121 and turned back by authorities or towed. The fine for commercial operators without chains is $196.