3rd consecutive storm drenches southwest B.C. as evacuation orders remain in place

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The last of three major storms is pounding southwest B.C. with heavy rain as flood-ravaged communities brace for potential evacuations and damage.

Flood-soaked regions like the Fraser Valley and the Nicola Valley east of Vancouver may receive up to 100 millimetres of rain, while snow is also expected at higher elevations.

The impact from the rain is expected to be worse due to extensive damage from the two previous storms. The first, which struck the province from Nov. 15 to 17, led to historic rainfall records being broken, and another over the weekend led to renewed evacuation orders and highway closures.

Evacuation orders remain in place for hundreds of properties in southwest B.C. The current storm system affecting the province hit the Central Coast first before travelling south, leading to more evacuation orders in areas north of the Fraser Valley region and Metro Vancouver.

This includes the communities  of Hope, Mission, and Hatzic in the eastern Fraser Valley. Some residents of Maple Ridge, just east of Vancouver, had warnings delivered to them due to potential floods.

Hundreds of residents also remain away from their homes in B.C.'s Interior, including in Princeton and Merritt.

Nearly all of the province is at a high or extreme risk of avalanche, with the greatest dangers in places like the Sea to Sky region, north of Vancouver, the northwest coast and the northern Rockies.

Up to 150 millimetres of rainfall is forecast for parts of Vancouver Island on Wednesday, and nearly the entire Island is under a flood watch.

A flood watch is also in effect for the Fraser, Tulameen, Coldwater, Similkameen, Coquihalla and Sumas rivers. A flood warning means river levels have exceeded or will exceed their banks, and nearby areas will flood as a result. A flood watch means river levels are rising and may spill their banks.

On Tuesday, Highway 99 between Pemberton and Lillooet was closed until further notice due to weather conditions. The stretch saw a mudslide that left four people dead and one missing.

Numerous other highways remain closed or under travel advisory due to the impact of previous floods and mudslides. 

The stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) between Abbotsford and Chilliwack, crucial for connecting Metro Vancouver and the rest of the province, remains closed.

There is also a travel advisory for Highway 20 in the Bella Coola Valley area on the Central Coast.