Image: Jennifer Danelisky / Coquihalla Highway on Saturday morning, Dec. 20.

By Victor Kaisar, CFJC Today (Kamloops)

Travel advisory

UPDATE: Coquihalla Highway reopens s/b after being closed for several hours

Dec 20, 2025 | 11:28 AM

UPDATE 11:14.: The Coquihalla Highway has reopened for southbound traffic between Hope and Merritt, according to a post from DriveBC at 11:10 p.m. Saturday night.

UPDATE 3:25 P.M. SATURDAY: DriveBC reported at 2:53 p.m. Saturday that Highway 5 is closed southbound due to a vehicle incident. Motorists should expect delays.

It’s the third time this week that the Coquihalla has been closed southbound in four days. It was closed from roughly 7:30 p.m. Tuesday evening until Wednesday afternoon, followed by a closure on Thursday afternoon at about 2 p.m., and now today’s closure.

Original story:

COQUIHALLA HIGHWAY — A travel advisory is effect on the Hope to Merritt section of the Coquhalla Highway, which remains open at this time, though travel is not recommended.

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Environment Canada says strong winds are coming to parts of B.C. starting on Monday.

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Drive BC says there is heavy snowfall and high winds forecast into Saturday (Dec. 20), and people on the highway are being warned they may experience major delays due to winter weather conditions.

“Power to facilities and charging stations may be impacted or unavailable,” the Drive BC advisory added.

A yellow level snowfall warning remains in effect on the section of highway, with Environment Canada forecasting between 20 and 35 cm to fall today into tonight, and another 10 to 15 cm tomorrow, Dec. 21.

“There is potential for additional snowfall on Monday and Tuesday; however, accumulation remains uncertain,” the weather agency said. “Windy conditions are also expected, with periods of reduced visibility.”

DriveBC webcams show heavy snow on the Hope to Merritt section of the Coquihalla. particularly around the summit.

Travelers to the coast are being urged to take Highway 1 though the Fraser Canyon instead.

You can find the latest weather alerts from Environment Canada here and the latest on highway conditions from DriveBC here.