High streamflow advisories ended for most of B.C.’s South Coast

Officials in British Columbia have ended a slew of high streamflow advisories for the South Coast and Vancouver Island, amid a receding threat of flooding.

On Friday, the BC River Forecast Centre removed the advisories on the Squamish and Lillooet rivers and their tributaries, Vancouver Island, the South Coast including Howe Sound, the Sunshine Coast, Sea-to-Sky region and North Shore Mountains.

Flood watches for the Sproat and Somass rivers were downgraded to high-streamflow advisories.

The alerts were in place after a series of atmospheric rivers carrying warm moisture from the subtropics drenched southwestern B.C. over the last week, and raised freezing levels contributing to rapid snow melt.

2:27 Pemberton, B.C., declares state of emergency due to flooding

“Rainfall has eased through the region, with drier weather and cooling temperatures expected through the weekend and into next week,” the forecast centre said.

“River flows throughout Vancouver Island and the South Coast continue to recede from recent rain-on-snow related peaks earlier in the week.”

At the peak of the threat, officials in Pemberton declared a state of local emergency ordered the evacuation or a handful of homes and issued evacuation alerts for dozens more.