A winter storm warning over the next 36 hours has been issued for the Coquihalla Highway.

Environment Canada said drivers can expect increasingly heavy snow between Hope and Merritt, starting Monday night.

The snow is expected to ease Tuesday morning, but will start falling again near midday.

They said 40 to 50 centimetres of snow is expected to continue through Tuesday night, before tapering off Wednesday morning.

DriveBC is warning commuters to prepare for quickly-deteriorating conditions on the roads.