An atmospheric river swept across southern B.C., leading to fears there could be a repeat of the devastating November 2021 storms that killed six people and led to the destruction of hundreds of thousands of farm animals.

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Late Wednesday, Abbotsford declared a state of local emergency as hundreds of properties were put on evacuation order and the B.C. government closed major highways between the Lower Mainland and the Interior because of flooding, falling rock and debris, and high avalanche hazards.

B.C. Flooding Live: Abbotsford evacuation order expanded to 400 properties, 1,800 on alert | Five people, four dogs rescued after stranded by floods | Highway 5 reopened in both directions Back to video

Check here for updates:

Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025

Highway 5 reopened in both directions

The Coquihalla Highway (5) has been reopened in both directions between Hope and Merritt as of 4 p.m.

Highway 1 remains closed eastbound between Hope and Highway 9. A detour is available via Highway 7.

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‘We are not yet through this emergency,’ says minister, as evacuations expanded

An evacuation orders has been expanded in Abbotsford to 400 properties.

Kelly Greene, minister of emergency management and climate readiness, said as well 1,800 properties are under evacuation alert.

Greene provided the update at a news conference at 11 a.m. on Thursday.

“We are not yet through this emergency,” said Greene. “We are anticipating continued flow from the Nooksack today and rising water levels, and are prepared for difficult days and nights ahead.”

Geotechnical experts are on site and emergency staff are available 24/7 to provide any support required, added Greene.

“If you’re living in an area that is at risk of flooding, you should have a grab and go bag ready for everyone in your household, including pets,” she said.

There’s 66 farms registered with livestock under evacuation order, and 99 farms with livestock under evacuation alert, according to the Agriculture Ministry.

Minister Lana Popham said the flooding is affecting a mix of poultry, dairy cows and hogs, adding that at this point the animals are safe. She said she will provide updates as they come in about the farms.

Popham said she has spoken to many farmers and they are all nervously watching to see how the next 12 hours plays out.

“My message to farmers and communities is that you are not alone in this, and we need to look out for one another, and we’ll continue to monitor and support as needed,” said Popham.

B.C. River Forecast Centre continues flood warnings

David Campbell, head of the B.C. River Forecast Centre, said flood warnings are still in place for the Fraser Valley, on the Chilliwack River and for the Sumas region.

“We expect that the peak from that will come through fairly shortly as we go through the middle part of today, before we start to see that water start to decline and that water moving through,” said Campbell at the 11 a.m. news conference.

“As we go into the next 24 hours or so here, the real focus point is going to be on the Sumas region. We’ve seen the Nooksack River in the Whatcom County in Washington has been at flood stage. It breached its banks yesterday afternoon, that has led to spill overflow into the Sumas region since yesterday evening.”

Campbell said he expects the flooding won’t recede until into Friday, adding there’s only a short break in the weather before another system moves through.

“We are looking at a longer phase of potential increased flood hazard through the region, and continuing to monitor that system closely, and we’ll be providing updates as we get a better understanding of how that weekend system will come into place, as well as how much time we have to recover rivers in the next few days here before that system arrives,” he said.

Flood warnings are also now in effect for the Similkameen River tributaries, including headwater tributaries at and upstream of Princeton and the Tulameen River.

Some highways reopening

Janelle Staite, minister of transportation and infrastructure, said ministry staff and maintenance crews were on the ground while ministry engineers conducted an aerial assessment by helicopter to evaluate risks and identify corridor impacts.

“While there are road impacts, we are not near the state of infrastructure damage that we experienced during the 2021 event,” she said.

Staite said ground patrols of Highway 1 through the Fraser Canyon have confirmed that there was no damage, and the risk of debris coming down from the slope has subsided.

“So we’ve been able to reopen this road fully in both directions,” she said.

Geotechnical engineers have provided authorization to begin clearing the rockfall on Highway 7, between Agassiz and Hope, allowing the highway to reopen to single lane, alternating traffic.

Highway 1 eastbound in the Bridal Falls area remains closed as result of a mudslide.

Popham said engineers have assessed the site from the air and confirmed that water continues to flow from the mountain due to high streams.

“We will continue to monitor this area to determine what is safe for crews to begin clearing debris and do necessary repairs,” she said, adding an update is expected later today.

North Shore Rescue saves five people, four dogs stranded by flooding

Shortly after midnight, North Shore Rescue crews used a helicopter to save a group of people and four dogs trapped on an island in the Chilliwack River, with flood waters rising all around them.

Two NSR helicopter rescue technicians responded along with Talon Helicopters and flew to the Chilliwack River Valley, according to a social media post Thursday from North Shore Rescue.

Over the course of several hours, all people and animals were successfully rescued via hoist in challenging conditions such as wind, tight trees, and rising floodwaters, NSR said.

Crews were back in North Vancouver just after 5:30 a.m.

NSR said crews have several K9 rescue kits, which include dog harnesses specifically for helicopter rescue.

Evacuation orders in Abbotsford, alerts in Manning Park

Evacuation orders have been issued for 371 properties in Abbotsford, and a state of local emergency issued because of imminent flooding late Wednesday night.

Just after 11 p.m., the city said that residents of hundreds of properties in the Sumas Prairie West area must leave immediately due to the risk of flooding.

The orders were issued by the Fraser Valley Regional District after talks with the province and Whatcom County in the U.S., where the Nooksack River was reaching flood levels.

Flood water is expected to arrive at the border Thursday morning, according to the city.

Firefighters and other emergency services went door to door in west Sumas Prairie in the early morning hours Thursday to hand out evacuation orders.

Farmers began to look for ways to move livestock.

As the rain stopped, residents continued to watch websites showing the Nooksack River in Washington State rising through the night. Some of that water is expected to reach Abbotsford today.

After a sleepless night for many, Sumas Prairie looked much the same early Thursday. Before dawn, Christmas lights reflected in puddles and cows were being milked. Several residents seemed to have parked their vehicles on higher ground. Many seemed to be at home despite the evacuation order.

The roads were dry apart from one area on Boundary Road. A reception centre has been set up at the Abbotsford Recreation Centre. Evacuation alerts remain in place for the eastern Sumas Prairie area.

As of 11:50 p.m., residents on the eastern edge of Manning Park were still on evacuation alert, according to an update from the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen.

—with files from Glenda Luymes

Major highway problems

As of 9:30 a.m., Drive B.C. is reporting that most major highways to the Lower Mainland are still closed. However, Highway 1 in Fraser Canyon from Yale to Lytton reopened Thursday morning, and there was a partial reopening on Highway 7.

Here’s the latest:

• Highway 5 (Coquihalla) is still closed in both directions from Hope to Merritt due to flooding at Sowaqua.

• Highway 1 eastbound is closed between Bridal Falls and Hope. This means there is no eastbound access from the Lower Mainland to Hope as Highway 7 remains closed between the two locations.

• Highway 1 at Canyon has reopened from Yale to Lytton.

• Highway 3 from Hope to Princeton is closed in both directions.

• Highway 7 has partly reopened to single-lane alternating traffic following a rockslide

• Highway 8 is closed to all but local traffic.

• Highway 99 has reopened from Mount Currie to Lilooett however there is a planned avalanche closure later Thursday morning.

The provincial government is calling for only essential travel in the Fraser Valley until the rain subsides.

The Sumas border is closed to commercial traffic and Border Services is requesting people avoid Highway 11 to Sumas due to flooding in Washington state, which has also declared a state of emergency.

Amtrak trains have been suspended between Seattle and Vancouver.

Rainfall warning lifted for the Fraser Valley and Metro Vancouver

On Thursday morning, the orange and yellow rainfall warnings issued a day earlier for the Fraser Valley and Metro Vancouver had been lifted by Environment and Climate Change Canada.

However, the forecast still calls for possible showers Thursday before periods of rain return Thursday night and Friday.

It looks like some respite with mainly cloudy skies on Saturday but that’s followed by consistent rain from Sunday to at least next Wednesday.

Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025

Flooding on Highway 1

Drive B.C. says it has received several reports of flooding on Highway 1 from Chilliwack to Hope.

The Ministry of Transportation is warning Highway 1 could close at any time with little or no notice. Highway 7 is now closed west of Hope with no timeline for reopening.

Sumas crossing closed to commercial vehicles

The Sumas Crossing into Washington State has been closed to commercial traffic to support emergency evacuations due to flooding in the U.S. Local traffic may still use the crossing.

Evacuation alert issued for Eastgate near Manning Park

The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen is warning residents of Eastgate on the eastern edge of Manning Park off Highway 3 to be prepared to evacuate due to flooding threat.

A flood watch has also been issued for all tributaries of the Similkameen River. An evacuation order is in place for the Princeton Municipal Campground.

Evacuation alerts for properties in Sumas Prairie West and Clayburn Village

The City of Abbotsford has issued evacuation alerts for 960 properties in Sumas Prairie West and Clayburn Village.

This follows a flood warning issued earlier today by the B.C. River Forecast Centre and further conversations with the provincial government, whose modelling information shows that the flooding may be more than what was seen in 2020, but not as significant as the 2021 event.