B.C. atmospheric river flooding: Bad, but as bad as 2021…?

Flooding from atmospheric weather systems has cut off British Columbia’s Mainland from the Interior of the province, with B.C. emergency officials and meteorologists not sure yet about whether B.C.’s Fraser Valley would see the same level of flood damage as in 2021.

Flood damage due to the 2021 atmospheric river caused insured losses of more than $675 million, which was the costliest natural catastrophe in the province’s history at the time.

The 2021 flooding in B.C. swamped homes and farms, swept away roads and bridges, and killed six people. At that time, extreme rainfall of more than 100 mm a day from three separate atmospheric rivers caused flooding and landslides leading to the deaths of more than 600,000 farm animals, according to The Vancouver Sun.

On Wednesday, Environment Canada predicted the rainfall from the current atmospheric river would be heaviest in the Fraser Valley and southern sections of Vancouver Island, where up to 110 mm of rain was possible.

But this atmospheric river was fast-moving, whereas the atmospheric rivers in 2021 lingered over the area, Brian Proctor, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, told the Vancouver Sun.

“In 2021 the atmospheric river really stalled over top of that area and over the northern portion of Washington State as well,” Proctor said. “Whereas this one is still moving — that’s probably the best way to look at it. So it has the potential to be extremely impactful, but I don’t think it’s going to be anything like what we experienced previously in that record-setting flooding we saw.”

Damage, however, will likely be extensive.

B.C. Emergency Management Minister Kelly Greene told a news conference late Wednesday that the City of Abbotsford has put about 1,000 properties under evacuation alert, while several properties in neighbouring Chilliwack were under evacuation order, according to a report by The Canadian Press.

Due to flood risk, Abbotsford upgraded its evacuation alert to cover an additional 371 properties in Sumas Prairie West.

Provincial authorities noted the threat of flooding and rockslides has closed several main highways connecting the B.C. Fraser Valley to the Lower Mainland.

Highway 99, which connects the Lower Mainland and the Interior, was closed between Pemberton and Mount Curry.

“We will not have access until at least tomorrow throughout the corridor and into the mainland and the Interior,” B.C. Transportation Ministry representative Janelle Staite told the news conference, per CP.

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Also, multiple points of Highway 1 were closed, Staite reported, with a “significant amount” of water crossing the road near Hope and Highway 9. She added closures are also in place on Highway 7 west of Hope, Highway 3 in the Allison Pass area, and the Coquihalla between Hope and Merritt.

Compounding the effects of the rainfall from the atmospheric river, the Nooksack River across the U.S. border was expected to flood its banks into today, according to Connie Chapman, executive director of in the provincial Water Management Branch, as reported by CP.

Outflows from the Nooksack caused disastrous flooding in the Fraser Valley four years ago, resulting in billions of dollars in damage, as well as in 1990.

“One thing to start with is that the volume of water coming out of the Nooksack is a similar volume of water that was seen in 1990 and also in 2021,” said Chapman, according to CP. “With that being said, there are many variables to take into consideration as to what the impacts of this volume of water may transpire.”

David Gambrill

David has twice served as Canadian Underwriter’s senior editor, both from 2005 to 2012, and again from 2017 to the present.