Winter weather returns today to the Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt - Fraser Valley Today

British ColumbiaA 30-kilometre stretch of the highway was closed between Merritt and Exit 315 around 9 a.m. Saturday due to a motor vehicle incident near Helmer Road.2 people were taken to hospital by air ambulance in critical conditionMichelle Gomez · CBC News · Posted: Oct 18, 2026 12:47 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 1 minuteThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results. First responders received a call about a motor vehicle incident at 8:35 a.m. Saturday. (Chad Hipolito/Canadian Press)Four people were sent to the hospital after a crash on the Coquihalla Highway north of Merritt, B. C., on Saturday morning, that shut the highway down for most of the day. First responders received a call about a motor vehicle incident at 8:35 a.m., according to B. C. Emergency Health Services. Paramedics provided first aid to four people. Three were taken to the hospital in critical condition, two of which were taken by air ambulance. The fourth patient was taken to the hospital in stable condition. According to Drive B.

A head-on collision north of Merritt on Saturday morning closed the Coquihalla Highway for hours. BC Emergency Services (BCEHS) told CityNews that it was called around 8:35 a.m. to the scene where several cars were involved in a motor vehicle incident.

MERRITT, B. C. — (UPDATE 4:50 p.m.): DriveBC says the Coquihalla Highway has reopened in both directions between Exit 290 and Exit 315 as of about 4:00 p.m. Saturday (Oct. 17). BC Emergency Health Services released a statement Saturday afternoon confirming that two people were airlifted to hospital following a motor vehicle incident on the highway north of Merritt. It noted paramedics were called to respond around 8:35 a.m. this morning. “Three ambulances with primary care paramedics, an ambulance with advanced care paramedics, a paramedic supervisor and two air ambulances responded to the scene. Paramedics provided emergency medical care to four patients,” BCEHS said. “Three patients were transported to hospital in critical condition, including two by air ambulance. Another patient was transported to hospital in stable condition.”

Toronto and Montreal have remained above the freezing mark every day for almost six months. While frosts and even some snowflakes have intruded across parts of Ontario and Quebec in recent weeks, the two cities have yet to reach that magic number. What’s even more remarkable is that a handful of communities across the southern United States have already dipped to the freezing point--and some have even seen accumulating snowfall. DON’T MISS: Official: Canada records first -30°C reading of the seasonThe last time we saw a freezing temperature in either Toronto or Montreal was the second-to-last week of April. Toronto hit -1.3°C early on April 20, while Montreal dipped to -2.0°C the following morning. Our average first frost in both cities occurs right around the middle of October. But warmer-than-normal years can see this milestone slide several weeks past due. Montreal once had to wait 207 consecutive days for its first frost, with the city’s first subfreezing temperature in 2017 waiting until Nov. 7. The latest Toronto’s had to wait to hit the zero-degree mark was Nov. 13, 2022.

Tropical cyclones top the list of nature’s most powerful storms. Larger than tornadoes and more intense than any single thunderstorm, these systems can change the landscape when they swirl ashore. A handful of tropical cyclones take full advantage of their surroundings to achieve the apex of their potential, the strongest storms nature can produce. DON’T MISS: What’s the difference between hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones? Tiny fraction of storms achieve upper limitsOnly about 4 per cent of all the world’s recorded tropical cyclones have reached the equivalent of Category 5 strength. Most tropical cyclones are relatively weak and short lived because it’s tough for all the necessary ingredients to align just right. But explosive development can result when all those factors come together in perfect harmony. Strongest Winds: Hurricane PatriciaAn exceptionally favourable setup off the western shores of Mexico in late-Oct. 2015 allowed Hurricane Patricia to grow into the world’s strongest hurricane since reliable observations began in 1966.