High winds reaching up to 90km/h slated for Metro Vancouver, B.C.’s south coast

British Columbia’s south coast, including parts of Metro Vancouver, will see more high winds today with Environment Canada warning of gusts reaching 90 kilometres per hour.

The forecaster says strong winds will move in before fading late in the day, and the affected area also includes the Sunshine Coast and the southern Gulf Islands.

Another wind storm last week left thousands without power along the coast, resulting in school closures and other disruptions.

Severe wintry weather is in the forecast for northern B.C., with warnings of cold reaching minus 20 with the wind chill near Terrace, and minus 50 along the Yukon boundary, while Haida Gwaii could see up to 25 centimetres of snow.

In southwestern B.C., a snowfall warning has also been issued for the Skagit Valley and the Coquihalla Highway from Hope to Merritt, with up to 15 centimetres expected.

The B.C. government says a stretch of Highway 3 from Hope to Princeton that has been closed since an atmospheric river weather event earlier this month is now slated to reopen on an “interim alignment” sometime between Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

The heavy rains washed away a 50-metre section of the highway, and authorities had expected the work to take weeks.

“However, engineering confirmed less construction is needed, and utilities do not have to be relocated,” a statement from the Ministry of Transportation says. “Long-term repairs will require significant design and reconstruction.”

Motorists will be limited to 30km/h on the detour route until full repairs are completed.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 22, 2025.