Rainfall records broken across southern B.C. over the weekend

Rain soaked much of southern B.C. over the weekend, with 17 communities breaking daily rainfall records, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.

The federal weather agency said a low pressure system moved through southern B.C. from Friday evening to Saturday afternoon, bringing heavy rain and strong wind gusts. 

The highest rainfall was recorded in the Agassiz area, which saw 57.5 millimetres of rain on Saturday, beating the previous record of 36 millimetres set in 2004, according to a preliminary report from Environment Canada. 

The White Rock area recorded 49.2 millimetres of rain, exceeding its old record of 29.7 millimetres set in 1977. The Vancouver area received 26.7 millimetres of rain, surpassing the previous record of 17.6 millimetres recorded in 2008.

Rainfall records were also recorded in the Pitt Meadows, Lytton and Yoho National Park areas.

A huge tree fell on a house in Vancouver's Mount Pleasant neighbourhood Saturday morning. 

Ryland Haggis, who lives in the home with his wife and two children, said the falling tree sounded like firecrackers before it came down onto the front of the property.

"I realized as the sounds changed over about three to five seconds that it was a massive tree splintering and shearing off in front of our house, as it was followed by a huge boom and impact that shook the whole house," Haggis said, adding that no one was injured and no windows were shattered.

Environment Canada meteorologist Ken Dosanjh told CBC News that rain combined with strong wind gusts can cause trees to fall.

"Especially during a time where the previous months have been generally dry, drought-stricken trees are relatively weaker," Dosanjh said.

The B.C. Wildfire Service said much of the southern part of the province received rain over the weekend.

But it said that was accompanied by heavy winds gusting up to 100 km/h in some areas, which "blew trees down along fire lines in the south" and forced a fire camp in Invermere, B.C., to move to another location. The service said no one was injured.

"Lower fire activity in the south is helping crew efforts with mop up, but danger tree hazards remain," the agency said in a notice Sunday.

As of Monday morning, the service says the number of active blazes in the province has fallen to 312, continuing a downward trend.