Historic flooding slams British Columbia and Washington

Major flooding has swept the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley of British Columbia after torrential rain fell on the region. Above, the Reliable Towing crew from the Discovery series Highway Through Hell were helping first responders rescue residents in Merritt. All 7200 residents were forced to evacuate on Monday after major flooding swept the city.  (CBC) 

An atmospheric river of moisture streaming across the Pacific Ocean slammed into B.C. and neighbouring Washington state early this week dropping historic amounts of rainfall. Over a stretch of 48 hours as much as 290 mm (11.5 inches) of rain fell over portions of Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland. Over 20 individual all-time rainfall records were broken. Hope reported 295mm, Coquihalla Summit 238mm, Squamish 206mm and Malahat on Vancouver Island 182mm. The torrential rain liquified the soil creating mudslides and pushed numerous rivers over their banks. 

Major flooding occurred along The Malahat on Vancouver Island after nearly 200mm of rain in 48 hours. The highway was reopened Tuesday afternoon to alternating traffic. (BC Transportation)

Widespread, historic flooding has occurred, with every major highway connecting Vancouver to the rest of Canada closed due to washouts and mudslides. The Trans Canada (1), Crowsnest (2), Coquihalla (5) and Highway 99 are all closed at this time. First responders had to rescue hundreds of trapped motorists, many spending hours in the dark on ever shifting roadways. Sadly one fatality has been reported so far, a female motorist who was swept away in a mudslide on Highway 99. The fear is that the death toll may climb as numerous vehicles are reported in that slide.

Widespread flooding has been reported, especially in the hard-hit Fraser Valley. Hope, Merritt and Abbotsford have all ordered evacuations for many of their residents. Thousands of homes have been inundated. Flooding is also reported south of the border in Washington State. Interstate 5 had to be closed at Bellingham.

Both CP Rail and CN have reported damage to their respective tracks, with no train movement at this time between Kamloops and the busy Pacific ports.

The same storm produced blizzard conditions across southern Saskatchewan on Tuesday, with dozens of highways forced to close stranding travellers. (Regina Leader-Post)

The storm bombed out over Saskatchewan on Tuesday, producing howling hurricane-force wind gusts and blinding snow. Swift Current on the Trans Canada Highway reported a gust to 113km/h, with 11 hours of blizzard conditions and visibility under 1km. Dozens of highways were closed in the province, with near-zero visibility reported on area roads. The airport in Regina was forced to cancel all flights at 3pm Tuesday. The Regina Leader-Post newspaper cancelled home delivery on Wednesday morning.