British Columbia Road Conditions and Highway Weather

Major highways in British Columbia

The corridors this page follows, each with its own page. Surface and temperature are the latest readings along the whole road; the summits are where the same road is a different drive.

• Highway 5 (Coquihalla) — The Coquihalla climbs from Hope to a 1,244 m summit and on to Kamloops, the fastest way from the coast to the Interior and the one the province closes first in a storm.
• Highway 1 (Trans-Canada) — The Trans-Canada from Victoria over the Malahat and from Vancouver up the Fraser Canyon, through Rogers Pass and over Kicking Horse to Alberta: the longest corridor in the province and the one with the most avalanche terrain.
• Highway 3 (Crowsnest) — The southern route across the province, over Allison Pass in Manning Park and Kootenay Pass east of Salmo — the highest pass in Canada kept open all year.
• Highway 97C (Okanagan Connector) — Merritt to the Okanagan over Pennask Summit at 1,728 m, the highest point on the Coquihalla system and open country the wind owns in winter.
• Highway 99 (Sea to Sky) — The Sea to Sky from Horseshoe Bay to Whistler and Pemberton, then the Duffey Lake road to Lillooet: sea level to 1,275 m and back, with the winter tire rule in force from the first climb out of Horseshoe Bay.

57 current reports along the route, including 2 full closures. The 8 most serious are listed below. Always check with DriveBC before setting off.

• Road closed

  Road work on Highway 1, Trans-Canada Highway

  Road construction. Starting Fri Jul 10 until Sat Oct 31. Closed. Traffic will be shifted to the north of the median around 256th St and and will cross over around Lefeuvre Rd. Existing eastbound lanes will be closed. This will remain in place 24/7.

  Trans-Canada Highway • Eastbound • BC • Until Oct 31, 2:00 PM Details

• Lanes blocked

  Road work on Highway 99, George Massey Tunnel

  Bridge maintenance at Highway 99, In Richmond. Starting Fri Sep 18 until Sun Sep 20. From 9:00 PM to 6:00 AM PDT the next day, Friday to Sunday. Last update: September 14th, 2026 at 8:04am PDT. Northbound lanes will be closed September 18th, southbound lanes will be closed September 19th.

  George Massey Tunnel • Both directions • BC • Until Sep 20, 1:00 PM Details

• Lanes blocked

  Road work on Highway 5

  Construction work from Highway 5, Othello Rd to Sowaqua Chain-up Area. Starting Wed Sep 16 until Sun Sep 27. From 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM PDT, weekdays. Right lane closed. Watch for traffic control. Last update: September 17th, 2026 at 9:28am PDT.

  Lower Mainland District • Southbound • BC • Until Sep 28, 2:00 AM Details

• Lanes blocked

  Road work on Highway 1, Vedder River Bridge

  Paving operations from Highway 1, In Abbotsford and Vedder Canal Bridge to In Abbotsford and Sumas Way. Starting Sun Sep 13 until Thu Oct 1. From 7:00 PM to 6:00 AM PDT the next day, weekdays and Sunday. Reduced to one lane. Last update: September 11th, 2026 at 8:48pm PDT. All on and off ramps will also be paved during this time. Motorists are advised to obey all posted speed limits, traffic signs, and traffic control personnel.

  Vedder River Bridge • Westbound • BC • Until Oct 1, 1:00 PM Details

• Lanes blocked

  Road work on Highway 1, Trans-Canada Highway W

  Rock scaling from Highway 1. Starting Tue Sep 15 until Thu Sep 24. Right lane closed. Last update: September 15th, 2026 at 9:06pm MDT. Use caution when passing crew and equipment working.

  Trans-Canada Highway W • Eastbound • BC • Until Sep 25, 12:00 AM Details

• Lanes blocked

  Road work on Highway 3

  Paving operations from Highway 3, In Hope and First Avalanche Gate to Exit 171: Old Hope Princeton Way. Starting Mon Aug 31 until Wed Sep 30. From 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM PDT, Monday to Saturday. Watch for traffic control. Last update: September 2nd, 2026 at 8:11am PDT. Watch for crews and equipment working. Speeds reduced to 60km/h through work zones. Detours will be in effect for off and on-ramp closures when night work takes place.

  Lower Mainland District • Westbound • BC • Until Oct 1, 1:00 AM Details

• Lanes blocked

  Incident (hazard) on Highway 1, Trans-Canada Highway SW

  Required maintenance from Highway 1, In Salmon Arm to 3 Street SW, In Salmon Arm. Until Tue Sep 22. Left turn lane closed. Centre lane closed. Last update: September 15th, 2026 at 8:01pm PDT. Next update: September 21st, 2026 at 7:00am PDT.

  Trans-Canada Highway SW • Eastbound • BC • Until Sep 23, 12:00 AM Details

• Lanes blocked

  Road work on Highway 7B, Mary Hill Bypass

  Bridge construction. Starting Mon Dec 1. From 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM PST on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Expect delays due to congestion. Watch for traffic control. Be advised: There are two lanes in each direction, width restrictions are in effect. Commercial vehicles must use both lanes. Oversized loads require permit. Work began on December 1st, 2025.

  Mary Hill Bypass • Both directions • BC • Ongoing Details

British Columbia Winter Tire & Chain Requirements

British Columbia turns its rule on for the season: from October 1 the designated highways require winter tires on every passenger vehicle and chains on board every heavy truck, whatever the weather is doing on the day. The routes are marked with regulatory signs, and the sign is what the police and CVSE officers enforce.

What counts as a winter tire

Winter tires are required on the designated winter tire and chain routes, which is most of the provincial highway network outside the Lower Mainland and southern Vancouver Island every year from October 1 to April 30, regardless of the forecast on the day. On select highways not located through mountain passes or high snowfall areas the requirement ends March 31; the routes page publishes which as regional maps, and the sign on the road is the authority.

A legal winter tire in BC carries either the letters M and S (mud and snow, the legal minimum, which includes many all-season tires) or the three-peaked mountain and snowflake symbol, and has at least 3.5 mm of tread. The province notes that mountain-snowflake tires grip better on snow and ice. Passenger vehicles may add chains or other traction devices to their winter tires; chains alone are not a substitute for them.

Fines and enforcement

Non-compliance is a $121 fine for a passenger vehicle without winter tires where they are required, and the police may turn a vehicle back.

Commercial vehicles

Commercial vehicles between 5,000 and 11,794 kg licensed GVW must carry chains or traction devices, or run winter-rated tires; vehicles of 11,794 kg and over must carry steel chains on most major highways from October 1 to April 30 and install them where the chain-up signs say so. Not carrying chains where required is a $196 fine; driving past an active chain-up area is $598.

How you will know it is active

• Regulatory signs at the start of each designated route, which are the legal notice
• DriveBC, which reports chain-ups in effect and closures as the ministry declares them
• Variable message signs on the mountain passes

The season is fixed and the signs stand all winter; what changes through the day is whether a chain-up is in effect on a pass or a road is closed, and this page does not carry that — DriveBC ↗ is the authority before you set off.

Source: gov.bc.ca, Tire and Chain Requirements, checked September 8, 2026.

When roads get bad in British Columbia

What the road normally throws at you, month by month, from Environment and Climate Change Canada's 1981–2010 normals at Hope Slide on Highway 3, Kamloops Airport, Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park and Prince George Airport — four stations, four climates, and each month names the worst of them and the place that measured it. This is what the month is usually like, not a forecast and not a rule.

• Jan Heavy snow 210 cm of snow in an average month at Rogers Pass: the passes are winter roads, plan for closures.
• Feb Heavy snow 129 cm of snow in an average month at Rogers Pass: the passes are winter roads, plan for closures.
• Mar Snow 89 cm of snow in an average month at Rogers Pass, with 30 nights below freezing there.
• Apr Snow 41 cm of snow in an average month at Rogers Pass, with 25 nights below freezing there.
• May Cold nights 15 nights below freezing at Rogers Pass; the high passes can still see snow.
• Jun Rain and fog Frost is rare even at Rogers Pass, the coldest of the four; the hazards are rain, fog and the odd summer storm.
• Jul Rain and fog Frost is rare even at Rogers Pass, the coldest of the four; the hazards are rain, fog and the odd summer storm.
• Aug Rain and fog Frost is rare even at Rogers Pass, the coldest of the four; the hazards are rain, fog and the odd summer storm.
• Sep Cold nights 7 nights below freezing at Rogers Pass; the high passes can still see snow.
• Oct Snow 49 cm of snow in an average month at Rogers Pass, with 21 nights below freezing there.
• Nov Heavy snow 164 cm of snow in an average month at Rogers Pass: the passes are winter roads, plan for closures.
• Dec Heavy snow 173 cm of snow in an average month at Rogers Pass: the passes are winter roads, plan for closures.

Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010, through the MSC GeoMet API. Snowfall is the monthly total; nights below freezing are days whose minimum was at or under 0 °C.

DriveBC is the road conditions service run by the BC Ministry of Transportation and Transit, at drivebc.ca. It is the province's own account of what is happening on its highways this minute, and the ministry publishes on it:

• Road events on the provincial highway network: incidents, closures, construction and road-condition reports, each with its location and last update
• Highway webcams, refreshed every few minutes, including the ones on the mountain passes
• Border crossing wait times and inland ferry information
• The same events as open data through the Open511 API

DriveBC and the conditions on this page

DriveBC reports what the ministry and its maintenance contractors have seen and declared: a closure, a chain-up in effect, compact snow on a section. What this page adds is the layer under those declarations — the surface condition estimated along the whole road from radar and analysis, the air and pavement temperatures at the summit, and the freezing level, which on the Coquihalla and Rogers Pass is the number that says whether the rain in Hope is snow at the top.

Passes and cities in British Columbia

British Columbia Winter Driving FAQ

Are winter tires mandatory in British Columbia?

Yes, on the designated routes. From October 1 to April 30 passenger vehicles on most BC highways outside the Lower Mainland and southern Vancouver Island must have winter tires — M+S or the mountain-snowflake symbol, with at least 3.5 mm of tread — and on select highways not through mountain passes or high-snowfall areas the requirement ends March 31. The routes are marked with regulatory signs, and the sign is what an officer reads. The fine is $121.

Do all-season M+S tires count as winter tires in BC?

Yes. British Columbia accepts a tire marked M+S (mud and snow) as the legal minimum, as well as one carrying the three-peaked mountain and snowflake symbol, so long as it has at least 3.5 mm of tread. That is more lenient than Québec, where only the mountain-snowflake symbol or studs qualify. The province itself notes that mountain-snowflake tires grip better on snow and ice.

Do I need to carry chains to drive the Coquihalla in winter?

In a car, no: passenger vehicles need winter tires on Highway 5 from October 1 to April 30, and may use chains or other traction devices with them. Commercial vehicles over 11,794 kg must carry steel chains on most major BC highways in that window and put them on when the chain-up signs say so; bypassing an active chain-up area costs $598.

Where does BC publish closures and road conditions?

On DriveBC, run by the BC Ministry of Transportation and Transit: road events, closures, chain-ups in effect and highway webcams, including the cameras on the Coquihalla, Rogers Pass and Kootenay Pass. British Columbia has no 511 service; DriveBC is the name to look for.