B.C. River Forecast Centre downgrades flood watch for south coast

British Columbia’s river forecaster has downgraded the flood watch advisory that had spanned the province’s south coast as rain deluged the region last week.

In Chilliwack, Fraser Valley Regional District director Patti MacAhonic says the area did not see heavy rain overnight Friday, and the water level in a creek on her property that had overflowed its banks had subsided by Saturday.

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MacAhonic says she hadn’t heard from any residents needing help Saturday, but an evacuation alert for about 30 properties along the Chilliwack River remains in place.

A bulletin from the B.C. River Forecast Centre says the multi-day atmospheric river system brought a range of 40 to 300 millimetres of precipitation to the region before easing Friday.

It says the heaviest rainfall was recorded around Howe Sound, the North Shore and Coast mountains and the Fraser Valley.

While snow initially fell in mid- and high-elevation areas, the centre says warming temperatures led to snowmelt and runoff later in the week.

It says the return of cooler temperatures has since reduced runoff.

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A high streamflow advisory now spans B.C.’s south coast, along with the Lillooet River near Pemberton and the Fraser Valley, Skagit and Similkameen regions.

In B.C.’s southern Interior, meanwhile, Environment Canada figures show several communities saw their warmest March 20 on record.

In the Salmon Arm area, the temperature of 20 C broke a 112-year-old record, with the previous daily high temperature of 16.7 C recorded in 1914.

The mercury hit 22 C in Penticton, where the last record of 17.8 C was set in 1928.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 21, 2026.