UPDATE: Coquihalla and Connector both reopen overnight

(UPDATE: Dec. 22 @ 6:20 am) - Both the Coquihalla Highway (Hwy 5) and Okanagan Connector (Hwy 97C) are open to start the day, but the driving conditions are less than ideal.

#BCHwy5 is now open from #HopeBC to #Merritt. #Coquihalla

— DriveBC (@DriveBC) December 22, 2020

Hwy 5 reopened shortly before 2 am, around 12 hours after it closed on Monday afternoon due to "multiple incidents" related to the weather.

Hwy 97C shut down shortly before midnight due to an accident near the Pennask Summit, but DriveBC later adjusted the closure reason to say "multiple incidents" as well.

CLEAR https://t.co/iTHLTFopHg

— DriveBC (@DriveBC) December 22, 2020

While both roads are now open, multiple road-closing incidents on both highways shows just how treacherous the drive currently is.

You can find the most up-to-date driving conditions and highway closures on the DriveBC website.

(Original story: Dec. 21 @ 1:55 pm) - If your travel isn’t absolutely essential, it’s best to avoid highway driving in the BC Interior today.

Snowfall or winter storm alerts are in place for nearly all the region’s main routes and mountain passes and now the Coquihalla Highway (Hwy 5) is closed.

⚠️❄️ #BCHwy5 #Coquihalla the road is CLOSED in both directions between Hope and Merritt due to multiple incidents. Please use alternate routes and avoid any non essential travel. Next update at 4:00 PM.#HopeBC #Merritt ⚠️❄️

— DriveBC (@DriveBC) December 21, 2020

According to DriveBC, the road has been shut down in both directions between Merritt and Hope thanks to “multiple incidents.”

DriveBC is currently having issues with its website, so an exact location of the accidents or any further details are currently unavailable.

It’s also not known when the highway might reopen, but an update isn’t even expected until 4 pm.

NowMedia will update this story when more information becomes available.