Here's what you need to know about B.C.'s Fraser Valley flood risk
The rain has mostly stopped Thursday morning in B.C.'s Fraser Valley, in places like Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Hope, after it was hammered by an intense downpour for 24 hours.
Flooding risk remains, however, as local rivers including those that run across the Canada-U.S. border — such as the Nooksack — continue to swell from the influx of water. And most major highways between the Lower Mainland and Interior remain closed.
There have been no reports so far of catastrophic flooding like what was seen in 2021, but officials say that could still occur.
FORECAST: B.C. faces risk of 10- to 20-year flood levels after multi-day rainfall event
Chilliwack Mayor Ken Popove told CBC's The Early Edition Thursday morning that he had not heard of any major flooding damage in his area.
"Fingers crossed that things are going to be OK for us out here."
Dave Campbell with B.C.'s River Forecast Centre said it will be well into Thursday evening before water levels in Washington state rivers drop enough that they stop pushing excess flow into Canada.
"The impacts of that could really persist through the evening and into tomorrow," he said.
Up to 150 mm of rain has fallen since Tuesday
Dave Campbell with the B.C. River Forecast Centre says up to 150 mm of rain has fallen since the atmospheric river made its way into the region Tuesday night.
A summary from Environment Canada says 140 millimetres of rain fell at the Hope airport on Wednesday, 125 mm at Cultus Lake and 110 mm at the Chilliwack airport.
But Campbell says another atmospheric river is expected to bring
Flood warnings extended
While much of the Fraser Valley remains under a flood warning, new warnings have been issued for Princeton and other areas along the upper Similkameen and Tulameen rivers and their tributaries.
New evacuation orders as other alerts lifted
However, an evacuation order for the Princeton Municipal Campground is now in place area due to rising water. The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen is urging anyone in the area to leave immediately.
The City of Abbotsford expanded its evacuation orders on Thursday to include an additional 82 properties in Huntington Village.
The city had declared a state of local emergency Wednesday night, putting 371 properties in the Sumas Prairie area under evacuation order, while a further 1,069 properties remain on evacuation alert.
The Clayburn Village evacuation alert has since been lifted.
Other impacts from the rain include:
Closures of most major highways leading out of the Lower Mainland.
Closure of the Sumas Border crossing in both directions.
Closure of all schools in the Fraser-Cascade School District on Thursday due to highway closures.
Closure of Semá:th Elementary school in Abbotsford on Thursday due to the evacuation order.
Evacuation alerts from the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen in places like Tulameen.
Some highways reopen
All major highways leading out of the Lower Mainland were closed Wednesday. But on Thursday morning, DriveBC said Highway 99 had reopened between Pemberton and Lillooet, while Highway 1 also reopened between Lytton and Yale in the Fraser Canyon.
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Hope resident Laura O'Brien told CBC's The Early Edition on Thursday morning that the road below her home was off limits due to debris left over from about half a metre of rain that covered it on Wednesday. She said levels have since eased to less than 10 centimetres, but water is still flowing.
"There's just no stopping it, it's going over the road."
Flood warnings and watches for Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Hope and other parts of the eastern Fraser Valley along the lower Fraser River tributaries and the Sumas River are in place.
Washington state local emergency
Washington state was under a state of emergency Thursday morning from a barrage of torrential rain that has sent rivers flowing over their banks, caused a mudslide to crash down on a highway and trapped people in floodwaters. Tens of thousands of residents could face evacuation orders there.
After days of seemingly unrelenting heavy rain, Gov. Bob Ferguson declared a state-wide emergency Wednesday night, warning "lives will be at stake in the coming days.”
Some residents have already been ordered to higher ground, with Skagit County, a major agricultural region north of Seattle, ordering those within the Skagit River’s floodplain to evacuate.
Amtrak trains between Seattle and Vancouver have been suspended.
Flood watches and high stream flow advisories are also in place across much of the southern portion of B.C.
WATCH: High water levels as rain creates flooding conditions in B.C.
This article, written by Chad Pawson, was originally published for CBC News.
With files from CBC's The Early Edition and the Associated Press