Heavy rain flood warnings issued in B.C. as atmospheric river systems move in

VANCOUVER — British Columbia’s River Forecast Centre has issued a flood warning for the Lower Fraser and Skagit basin in the province’s southwest, including the entirety of the Fraser Valley and most of Metro Vancouver as an atmospheric river swamps the area.

The centre says the heavy rain also brings the potential for spillover from the Nooksack River in Washington state, the same problem that set off devastating and costly flooding in November of 2021.

The warning says while the current forecast is for water levels below the 2021 flood, similar levels of water are being considered as a “possible scenario” if rainfall amounts are at the higher end of the current forecast.

Environment Canada says the heaviest rainfall is forecast for the eastern Fraser Valley, from Chilliwack east along the Highway 3 corridor to Princeton, where as much as 110 millimetres are expected to last into late Wednesday.

Metro Vancouver, excluding Richmond and Delta, is also under a warning with rainfall likely to reach as much as 70 millimetres.

The City of Abbotsford says it has established an emergency operations centre in response to the flood warning, adding that a number of roads along the U.S. border will likely be flooded if the Nooksack River overflows.

It says the water has historically taken around seven hours to reach the city, and the municipality is closely monitoring all key locations and dikes, with staff posted full time at the Barrowtown pumpstation in anticipation of possible flooding.

“We are preparing to close roads at low spots later today,” the city’s statement says. “Currently, Clayburn Road is closed between Highway 11 and Wright Street.”

The flood warnings are an upgrade to a previous flood watch in the area, after much of B-C’s south coast and parts of the southern Interior were put under rain warnings as an atmospheric river washes over parts of the province.

Rain warnings also cover western Vancouver Island, Howe Sound, parts of the Sunshine Coast, the Sea to Sky Highway, the Coquihalla Highway, Fraser Canyon, the Kootenays and Elk Valley near the Alberta boundary.

Travel is expected to be hampered on Highway 1 from Sicamous to Golden, as well as in Yoho and Kootenay national parks, as the same weather system is bringing up to 40 centimetres of snow to the area.

The B.C. government has issued a notice urging people living near rivers and streams in Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Hope to prepare emergency kits, move assets to higher ground and closely monitor the situation.

“Heavier rainfall south of the border may lead to flooding along the Nooksack River, with a potential for spilling into the Sumas River,” said a statement from the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship.

“The highest river levels are currently expected around the Fraser Valley, including the Chilliwack River and surrounding areas.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 10, 2025.