Residents in B.C.’s Fraser Valley ‘more hopeful’ of escaping flooding after rains

By Canadian Press on March 20, 2026.

VANCOUVER — The sun came out in some parts of southern British Columbia on Friday after relentless rain hammed the coast for days, but the risks of flooding and landslides persist, especially in the Fraser Valley.

Environment Canada warnings issued Friday say heavy rain, combined with mountain snow melt, could lead to bloated river systems and the potential for flooding.

A local state of emergency has been declared in the Fraser Valley for the Chilliwack area, where evacuation alerts cover just under 40 homes.

The district says residents of those properties should be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.

The Fraser Valley Regional District says in a statement that the prolonged rainfall has raised the potential harms to people, property, infrastructure and the environment.

District director Patti MacAhonic said sandbagging and other efforts to shore up the rise of the Chilliwack River are starting to pay off.

“I think people are feeling more hopeful than they did at first,” she said.

MacAhonic said the river is supposed to peak around 1 a.m. Saturday, and if current projections hold true, she thinks that the area will be able “to ride this one out.”

The regional district said the state of emergency will remain in effect until the threat to public safety is resolved.

An orange alert for rain, heavy at times, remained up Friday for the central and eastern Fraser Valley.

A lower level yellow alert remain up for the Fraser Canyon and portions of southeastern B.C., including the Elk Valley and Kootenay regions, while further north, a snowfall warning is out for B.C.’s South Peace region for 10 to 15 centimetres of snow.

The BC River Forecast Centre issued a flood watch for rivers and streams in the Fraser Valley, Metro Vancouver, Howe Sound and the Sea-to-Sky corridor and the Sunshine Coast, saying the last few days of rainfall arrive on top of previous totals, while freezing levels remain elevated, contributing to snowmelt.

High streamflow advisories were also posted on Friday for much of the southern part of B.C., including the Boundary Region, West and East Kootenay, and parts of the Upper Columbia River.

Similar advisories remain up for the Central Coast and all of Vancouver Island.

A high streamflow advisory means that river levels are rising or are expected to rise rapidly, but that no major flooding is expected.

No parts of the province are under a flood warning, which means that river levels have exceeded bankfull or will exceed bankfull imminently, and that flooding will occur.

Local search and rescue crews in Coquitlam had to evacuate eight residents and three pets by helicopter after a mudslide on Thursday.

The city said in a statement Friday that no additional landslides have been observed, and no further evacuations have taken place.

Deputy Fire Chief Chris Fox said cleanup of the affected area will get underway, as rainfall eases and a geotechnical team will assess the slide area.

“Residents are reminded to avoid the area, and follow all directions from emergency personnel,” he said.

Avalanche Canada labelled much of southern B.C. as a moderate to high avalanche risk on Friday, saying “heavy rain and high freezing levels will continue to create very dangerous conditions.”

A part of the B-C Rockies along its boundary with Alberta was flagged as an extreme avalanche danger.

Environment Canada said the rain came along with an unseasonable warm air mass that also resulted in several daily high temperature records.

The weather station in Coquitlam recorded 133 millimetres of rain as of Friday morning, while Maple Ridge saw 124 millimetres and Burnaby Mountain recorded 118 millimetres.

The temperature in Kamloops on Thursday reached 21.2, a notch above the record sent on the same day in 1947, while it was more than a degree warmer in Summerland at 19.5 C than the last record broken in 1928.

Commuter service on the West Coast Express was temporarily suspended on Thursday because of a mudslide in Maple Ridge, B.C., but returned to normal Friday.

Meteorologist Brian Proctor said the atmospheric river system is expected to move out Friday, but the province will need a prolonged period of dry weather for conditions to stabilize.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 20, 2026.

The Canadian Press

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