The City of Abbotsford, B.C., set an all-time weather record this November as three atmospheric rivers pummeled the province.
Mayor Henry Braun said Wednesday that 60 millimetres of rain fell over the last two days in the city.
In the month of November, the city recorded 540 millimetres total, Braun said.
That means one-third of the city’s average annual rainfall fell in November alone.
Braun said for those who think in feet, as he does, that translates to just under two feet of water layered over the entire city.
“I look forward to a time when we no longer have atmospheric rivers included in our projections,” he said.
An evacuation order for the Huntingdon Village area was downgraded to an evacuation alert on Wednesday evening.
Evacuation alerts also remain in place for Lower Sumas Mountain Road and Florence Drive.
The hope is that the weather continues to cooperate over the next few days, now that the third atmospheric river in a week has passed, and the city can start lifting evacuation orders and alerts, Braun added.
There is still a lot of rainwater and snowmelt making its way down from Baker, Vedder and Sumas mountains so water levels are still expected to rise, Braun explained.
Meanwhile, rising tides on the Fraser River meant the city had to close the Barrowtown Flood Gates, so water in the Sumas River will rise, but Braun said this is normal and should not be a cause for concern.
“It’s designed that way,” he said.
Models are showing stabilization over the next few days, the Nooksack River in Washington state has crested, and a breach in the dike system is not expected, Braun added.
Overnight patrols will continue along the Sumas Dike and in the Huntingdon Village area, Braun said, and Highway 1 along North Parallel Road at the Whatcom exit remained flooded Wednesday.
Highway 1 between Abbotsford and Chilliwack also remained closed but Braun said city staff was in discussion with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure about a reopening timeline.
The Canadian Armed Forces also remained in the city to provide support where needed.
Meanwhile, with the heavy rain Tuesday and Wednesday, flood warnings have been issued for Tulameen River, Similkameen River, Spius Creek, Coldwater River, Lower Nicola River, Coquihalla River, Chilliwack River and the Lower Fraser Valley by the BC River Forecast Centre.
The Village of Pemberton issued an evacuation alert for 11 properties Tuesday evening.
In addition, the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District issued an evacuation order for a number of properties in Birken, due to landslide risk.
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This comes as some Mission residents were also ordered to leave their homes Tuesday.
The Fraser Valley Regional District’s website says residents of 8400 Shook Rd. face “immediate danger to life, health and property” as a result of the storm. A local state of emergency has also been declared.
Tuesday afternoon, residents in the Benbow Street subdivision in Hatzic have been asked to leave immediately due to the flooding risk.
In Chilliwack, one property on Tamihi Road has now been placed on evacuation order.
On Sunday and Monday, the FVRD also issued evacuation orders for some properties on the Fish Camp, Othello and Tunnels roads and 12 properties on Laidlaw Road and McKay Road, in the District of Hope.
Flooding from multiple watercourses, including Lorenzetta Creek, Wahleach Creek and Hunter Creek have caused flooding to the surrounding lands, the orders say.
An evacuation alert has also been issued for about 1,600 residents of the Hatzic Prairie east of Mission, and on Tuesday afternoon, the District of Hope issued a similar alert for 114 properties along the Coquihalla River.
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