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British Columbia’s river forecaster has downgraded the flood watch advisory that had spanned the province’s south coast as rain deluged the region last week.
In Chilliwack, Fraser Valley Regional District director Patti MacAhonic says the area did not see heavy rain overnight Friday and the water level in a creek on her property that overflowed its banks had subsided by Saturday.
MacAhonic says she hadn’t heard from any residents needing help Saturday, but an evacuation alert for about 30 properties along the Chilliwack River remains in place.
Residents of British Columbia’s South Coast are breathing easier with the return of blue skies after several days of heavy rains that triggered flood advisories. As the CBC’s Janella Hamilton reports, the B.C. River Forecast Centre issued a bulletin Saturday saying rivers across the region were receding following peaks that mostly reached “modest” levels.
The district said the state of local emergency will remain in effect until the threat to public safety is resolved and that residents of properties under alert should be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.
A bulletin from the B.C. River Forecast Centre says the multi-day atmospheric river system brought a range of 40 to 300 millimetres of precipitation to the region before easing on Friday.
It says the heaviest rainfall was recorded around Howe Sound, the North Shore and Coast mountains and the Fraser Valley.
While snow initially fell in mid- and high-elevation areas, the centre says warming temperatures led to snowmelt and runoff later in the week.
It says the return of cooler temperatures has since reduced runoff.
A high streamflow advisory now spans B.C.’s South Coast along with the Lillooet River near Pemberton and the Fraser Valley, Skagit and Similkameen regions.
A high streamflow advisory means that river levels are rising or are expected to rise rapidly, but that no major flooding is expected.
Continued risks
Environment Canada meteorologist Brian Proctor warns although the storm has subsided, there are still potential risks.
“It’s gonna take time to recover in many of these drainage basins, we have saturated grounds,” said Proctor.
Simon Horton said while the avalanche risk has subsided along with the rain, there is still a risk of human-triggered avalanches in certain areas.
“During that atmospheric river, we see lots of avalanches,” said Horton. “That risk of large, natural avalanches is reduced now.”
Sandra Riches, with the B.C. Search and Rescue Association, is advising anyone planning to get out this weekend to plan ahead and take precautions.
This includes sticking to lower elevations, staying away from fast-flowing water, wearing proper footwear, and leaving an itinerary with a trusted contact.
“The number one reason for Search and Rescue in the province of British Columbia is injury from slips, trips and falls,” said Riches.
In B.C.’s southern Interior, meanwhile, Environment and Climate Change Canada figures show several communities saw their warmest March 20 on record.
In the Salmon Arm area, the temperature of 20 C broke a 112-year-old record, with the previous daily high temperature of 16.7 C recorded in 1914.
The mercury hit 22 C in Penticton, where the last record of 17.8 C was set in 1928.
