BURST
About 30 properties in the Chilliwack area are under an evacuation alert after heavy rain and high river flows in the Chilliwack River Valley.
The Fraser Valley Regional District declared a state of local emergency late Thursday and ordered some residents living in the Sheldon and Wilson Road areas along the Chilliwack River southwest of city limits to be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice.
The Fraser Valley Regional District has issued an Evacuation Alert for Area E, specific properties in the Sheldon Rd area, due to high flows in the #Chilliwack River. Impacted people must be ready to leave on short notice. More info & map: https://t.co/42PfWycUgG #BC #BCFlood… pic.twitter.com/Rsl8xgwyl5
— EmergencyInfoBC (@EmergencyInfoBC) March 20, 2026
The regional district provided sand and sandbags in three locations in Chilliwack, and asked residents to avoid waterways and shorelines.
Environment Canada on Thursday upgraded its rainfall warning for the Fraser Valley due to the prolonged atmospheric river that hit B.C.’s South Coast.
About 100 to 120 millimetres were expected to fall over the Fraser Valley on Thursday and Friday, with snow melt from the mountains contributing to rising river levels.
The B.C. River Forecast Centre has a flood watch for the South Coast, including for the Lower Fraser tributaries and the Fraser Valley.
In Coquitlam, several residents were evacuated after a mudslide hit one home and cut off access to others.
In Maple Ridge, a mudslide struck the train track used by the West Coast Express, forcing TransLink to temporarily suspend service on Thursday.
On Friday, the commuter railway is operating as scheduled, but with travel only as far east as Maple Meadows station. A bus bridge is taking passengers from Mission City and Port Haney stations to Maple Meadows Station.
The storm is expected to ease by midday Friday.