Honestly, if you haven’t stood at the summit of the Trans-Canada Highway in the middle of a Selkirk storm, it’s hard to wrap your head around what Rogers Pass weather actually feels like. People look at a forecast and think, "Oh, ten degrees, that’s not too bad." But they’re usually looking at Fahrenheit when the pass speaks in Celsius, or they’re ignoring the fact that those ten degrees are currently being whipped around by a south wind while 14 meters of snow wait in the wings to bury the road.
Basically, this place is a weather factory.
The pass sits at 1,330 meters (about 4,364 feet) right in the "Interior Wetbelt" of British Columbia. It’s a funnel. Warm, moisture-heavy air from the Pacific hits the Columbia Mountains, gets shoved upward, cools down fast, and just... dumps. We aren't talking about a light dusting. We're talking about an average of 905 cm of snow at the highway level and a staggering 1,424 cm up at the Mt. Fidelity station. In 1966, they recorded over 21 meters of snow at Fidelity. That’s a five-story building made of frozen water.
The Reality of Winter on the Pass
If you're heading up there today, Friday, January 16, 2026, you've actually caught a rare break. The current temperature is sitting at 10°F under partly cloudy skies. The wind is a mere whisper at 1 mph from the south. It’s one of those "bluebird" windows where the humidity (currently 77%) makes the air feel crisp rather than bone-chilling.
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But don't get used to it.
The forecast for the rest of today shows a high of 22°F and a low of 9°F. While the chance of snow is only 10% today, by the time we hit next Sunday, January 25, the chance of snow showers jumps to 35% overnight with temperatures hovering in the teens. That’s the thing about Rogers Pass weather: it’s patient. It waits for you to get comfortable before it closes the door.
Why the 1910 Disaster Still Matters
You can't talk about the weather here without mentioning the ghosts. In March 1910, the pass saw Canada's worst avalanche disaster. A crew of 63 men was clearing a slide from Cheops Mountain when a second avalanche from Avalanche Mountain—the opposite side of the valley—swept down and buried almost everyone. 58 men died. Only one guy, Billy Lachance, survived because he happened to be standing by the locomotive's firebox.
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It changed everything. The Canadian Pacific Railway eventually gave up and built the Connaught Tunnel just to get away from the surface weather. Today, Parks Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces run the world’s largest mobile avalanche control program here. They literally use 105 mm Howitzers to shoot the mountains. If you hear booming, it’s not thunder; it's the military keeping the road from becoming a tomb.
How to Not Get Stranded
Driving the pass is a bit of a gamble if you aren't prepared. Between Revelstoke and Golden, there are 135 avalanche paths over just 40 kilometers.
- Tires are non-negotiable: Between October 1 and April 30, you need mountain-snowflake or M+S rated tires. Honestly, if you don't have the snowflake symbol, you’re asking for trouble.
- The "No Stopping" Zones: You’ll see yellow signs. They aren't suggestions. If you stop there to take a photo of a cool peak, you’re sitting in an active slide path.
- The Kit: Keep a full tank. Always. If the Howitzers start firing, the road closes. You might be sitting in your car for 2 to 8 hours. Pack blankets, candles, and actual food—not just a pack of gum.
Summer is Just "Slightly Less White"
People think summer means the weather gets "normal." Sorta.
High elevation trails like the ones in Glacier National Park often stay snow-bound until late June or even July. You can be hiking in August, the driest month, and still hit a random snowstorm at the treeline. The subalpine wildflowers usually peak in August, but by mid-September, the nights get cold enough to start the cycle all over again.
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Essential Next Steps for Your Trip
If you’re planning to move through the pass this week, do these three things right now:
- Check DriveBC: Don’t just look at the temperature. Look at the webcams. If the "compact snow with slippery sections" warning is up, add an hour to your travel time.
- Get the Permit: If you're stepping one foot off the pavement to ski or snowshoe, you need a Winter Permit. As of the 2025/26 season, this includes "Unrestricted" areas. You have to pass a quiz online first.
- Watch the 7-day Trend: For the upcoming week ending January 25, we’re looking at a steady cooling trend. Highs will drop from 22°F today down to 14°F by next Friday. The humidity is dropping too, which usually means clearer skies but much sharper cold.
Rogers Pass doesn't care about your schedule. It’s a wild, high-altitude corridor that demands respect. Treat it like a sleeping giant—it’s beautiful to look at, but you really don't want to be there when it decides to wake up.