B.C. Family Day travellers face snowy Interior roads, multiple closures

Families across B.C. are gearing up for the Family Day long weekend, but snowy conditions in the Interior are wreaking havoc on some of the province's most travelled roads.

Icy conditions on Highway 5 the Coquihalla have prompted DriveBC to issue a travel advisory between Merritt and Kamloopsdue to black ice and slippery sections.

The B.C. Ministry of Transportation urgestravellers to check conditions and road closures before leaving, and to consider altering or postponing travel plans if weather conditions are unfavourable.

• DriveBC: Get the latest onroad conditions here

"It is important that everyone stays safe, as heavy snowfall, freezing rain, poor visibility and icy conditions are expected to continue," reads a statement from the ministry.

Trans-Canada Highway 1 was closed in both directions between Golden and Lake Louise, Alta., for much of Thursday due to avalanche risk, reopening midday on Friday.

However, the same highway will be closed Saturday afternoon east of Revelstoke for avalanche debris removal, DriveBC says. That closure is expected to last from 1 to 4 p.m. PT.

The warnings and closures come after a stretch of particularly dangerous avalanche and snow conditions throughout the province. Three people and two horses died in a head-on collision on Highway 3 south of Cranbrook last weekend after a truck lost control on a patch of black ice.