Torrential rain shuts and washes out highways in B.C.’s north coast

PRINCE RUPERT — Torrential rain of more than 200 millimetres in places along British Columbia’s north coast shuttered highways and cut off the main road access to Prince Rupert.

The B.C. Ministry of Transportation’s DriveBC information system had said Highway 16 linking Prince Rupert to communities in the east, including Terrace, had been shut in both directions on Tuesday due to flooding.

The road has since reopened, though DriveBC is still warning about water pooling along the route and is urging drivers to use extra caution while travelling.

Environment Canada said 203 millimetres of rain fell in Prince Rupert, about 750 kilometres northwest of Vancouver, as a weather system stalled over the region on Monday, triggering weather warnings and flood watches.

Heavy rain was also reported at Green Island Lighthouse off the north coast, where 180 millimetres fell, and in Haida Gwaii, where one station recorded 148 millimetres.

A stretch of Highway 16 on Haida Gwaii just north of Skidegate had been washed out, forcing the closure of the road linking the community with Masset to the north, but the Haida Nation said in a post to social media around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday that the highway between Skidegate and Tlell had reopened with a single lane.

Environment Canada lifted a rainfall warning that had earlier been posted for Kitimat and nearby regions.

But a B.C. River Forecast Centre flood watch remained in effect in the north coast sub-basin and Haida Gwaii, where the provincial agency had warned of road washouts and landslide risks.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 30, 2025.