Flooding expected in B.C.'s Fraser Valley, North Shore Mountains
The power is out for thousands in B.C.'s Lower Mainland Monday and flooding is expected in parts of the Fraser Valley and North Shore Mountains as another round of heavy rain batters the province.
Environment Canada has issued orange-level rainfall warnings for parts of the west and central Fraser Valley, including Abbotsford and Chilliwack, as well as the Skagit Valley, warning that up to 80 millimetres of rain could fall in higher elevations.
Orange warnings indicate severe weather that is likely to cause significant damage or disruption.
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Lower-level yellow rainfall warnings, which signal hazardous but moderate impacts, are also in effect for Metro Vancouver, the Sea-to-Sky corridor, Vancouver Island and in the province’s central and north coast. Forecasters say the heaviest rain is expected during the day Monday, and will taper off in the evening.
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Flood warnings in place
The B.C. River Forecast Centre has upgraded the Chilliwack River and its tributaries to a flood warning, meaning river levels have exceeded or are expected to imminently exceed river banks, resulting in flooding in nearby areas.
The centre also upgraded the North Shore Mountains to a flood warning Monday morning.
In its latest advisory, it said rainfall rates are exceeding 10 millimetres per hour in the North Shore and above-freezing temperatures are allowing rain to melt snowpack at higher elevations.
The combination of heavy rain and snowmelt is driving rapid rises in local rivers, according to the centre, with the Seymour River already reaching a 50-year flow level.
Officials warned that flooding of areas adjacent to rivers is likely.
A flood warning also remains in place for the Sumas River, while river forecasts suggest the overflow from the Nooksack River in Washington state, which contributed to last week’s flooding in Abbotsford, has stopped.
When the Nooksack floods, it overflows its banks near the town of Everson, Wash., and pushes that excess water north into the Sumas River and B.C.
In Abbotsford, the receding floodwaters allowed officials to lift or downgrade many evacuation orders over the weekend and a few more on Monday.
Nearly 250 properties that were under an evacuation order are now on an alert, including the Castle Fun Park and Clarion Hotel in Abbotsford.
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As of midday Monday, 75 properties in the city remain under order and 410 properties are under alert.
Agriculture Minister Lana Popham said 56 farms are under evacuation order, with another 13 on alert. She said there was damage to some barns and about six poultry farms were flooded.
She said the ministry has been in contact with affected farmers to provide support, including animal disposal assistance.
Elsewhere in southern B.C., and on Vancouver Island, a flood watch is in place, meaning rivers are rising and flooding may occur.
A woman walks back to her home after it was flooded in the Sumas Prairie West are of Abbotsford on Friday, Dec. 12. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
Meanwhile, high streamflow advisories, which indicate rapidly rising water levels but no major flooding expected, remain in effect across much of the coast, Haida Gwaii and parts of the Interior.
Connie Chapman with the province’s water management branch said while this weather system is forecast to be weaker than last week’s storm, uncertainty remains.
"We do know that the precipitation amounts going to fall are going to land differently than what we saw last week," Chapman said Sunday during a media briefing. "How that's fully going to play out … is a little uncertain."
She said the forecast was less intense than last week, but officials were still concerned about areas already impacted by flooding being hit again.
Power outages
B.C. Hydro says thousands of customers are without power Monday due to weather-related outages linked to the storm.
On Vancouver Island, almost 40,000 customers remain without power as of Monday afternoon due to wind and downed wires.
On Monday morning, about 16,000 customers on the North Shore were affected when suspected high winds downed a wire, but service was restored by 9 a.m., according to B.C. Hydro.
About 3,000 customers across Richmond, Abbotsford and Langley remain without power Monday afternoon because of stormy conditions and heavy rain.
B.C. Hydro says crews are on site and working to restore power.
Road closures
B.C. Emergency Management Minister Kelly Greene said flood and landslide risks are expected to increase as the storm moves through.
“We aren’t through this yet,” Greene said Sunday. “While road conditions are currently improving, they may change quickly due to flooding.”
The B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Transit has warned of short-notice highway closures due to the risk of rockfall, debris flows and washouts.
As a precaution, Highway 1 through the Fraser Canyon between Hope and Lytton and Highway 99 between Pemberton and Lillooet were closed overnight Sunday and into Monday morning but have since reopened.
On Sunday morning, Highway 1 through Abbotsford opened to traffic in both directions after floodwater receded, with one eastbound lane and both westbound lanes available.
DriveBC has a list of all other road closures and reopenings.
Drivers are being urged to avoid flooded roads and told to expect delays and monitor conditions closely as the weather system moves through.
This article was originally published for CBC News. With files from Shaurya Kshatri and The Canadian Press.