Abbotsford, B.C., lifts all evacuation alerts as flood watch ends and waters recede

VANCOUVER — The City Of Abbotsford, B.C., has lifted all evacuation alerts related to flooding that inundated the Fraser Valley community last week.

It says in an update late Thursday that it’s moving from flood response to recovery as a flood watch ends and waters of the Sumas and Nooksack rivers decrease.

The city was drenched by a series of atmospheric river weather events last week that also resulted in overflows from the Nooksack in Washington state crossing the border, triggering evacuation orders and alerts.

British Columbia’s south coast is meanwhile being hit by another round of stormy weather.

Environment Canada has issued a rainfall warning for Metro Vancouver’s North Shore as well as Howe Sound, with precipitation expected to reach up to 70 millimetres.

The agency also says winds of up to 80 km/h are expected into Thursday evening in eastern parts of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, while gusts could reach 90 km/h near Hope and in Greater Victoria.

Heavy snow is expected in the mountainous regions north and east of Metro Vancouver, with warnings for 15 centimetres in the Whistler and Pemberton region and up to 40 centimetres on the Coquihalla Highway from Hope to Merritt.

The period of wild weather also included a wind storm that knocked out power for 120,000 customers in southern B.C. on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, although almost all have had power restored.

Environment Canada says winds peaked on Wednesday at Race Rock in the south Vancouver Island region at 119 km/h, and the heaviest rain was reported in Coquitlam at more than 70 millimetres.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 18, 2025.