Flood watch for southwest B.C. as rain batters region on Saturday

Rainfall warnings and flood watches were issued in Vancouver and southwest B.C., as heavy rain in the region follows a week of snowstorms.

A significant winter storm swept through the region on Friday, leading to hundreds of flight cancellationsand the closure of crucial arterial bridges in Metro Vancouver, as well as ferry suspensionsand avalanche riskelsewhere in the province.

Most flights and ferries resumed service on Saturday, although some delays have been reported according to Vancouver airport officials and B.C. Ferries.

However, there are now rainfall warnings formost of Vancouver Island, Metro Vancouverand the Fraser Valley. And the provincial River Forecast Centre issued a flood watchfor the Lower Mainland and Central, West, and South Vancouver Islandincluding Victoriaon Saturday.

"Heavy warmer rain falling on the snowpacks may cause large volumes of snowmelt, which would induce extra flooding risks to the stream systems"onVancouver Island, according tothe flood watch advisory. "The public is advised to stay clear of the fast-flowing rivers and potentially unstable riverbanks during the high-streamflow period.

"Low-lying flooding is expected and may extend to overbank flooding of floodplains in areas."

A flood watch follows a high streamflow advisory, under the centre's three-tiered warning system,and indicates river levels may exceed the banks causing flooding.

High streamflow advisories cover the rest of Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland, an area in the southwest of the province on the mainlandthat includes Metro Vancouver, and the Fraser Valley, a region about an hour's drive east.

Drivers told to expect water pooling

On Friday, significant snowfall and freezing rain led the province to close two crucial bridges linking communities in Metro Vancouver the Alex Fraser and Port Mann Bridges over the Fraser River.

The Alex Fraser Bridge reopened around 6:30 a.m. PT on Saturday, though DriveBC warns the bridge is likely to be slippery and slushy due to rain.

The Port Mann Bridge on Highway 1, fullyreopened at 5p.m. PT, but delays are expected due to congestion, according to DriveBC.

Travel advisories remain in place for many provincial highways, urging motorists to only make essential trips.

DriveBC saidmotoristsshould be prepared for avalanche risk and road closures due to water pooling. The Sea to Sky Highway, north of Vancouver, which was closed Saturday morning due to multiple crashes fully reopened by 5p.m. PT.Highway 3 in the southeastern Interiorwas closed in both directions between Hope and Princeton as of 5:30 p.m. PT due to a crash at Manning Park, about 220km east of Vancouver.

An 82-kilometrestretch of Highway 97C connecting Peachland and Merritt was closed in both directions as of 7:30 p.m. PTdue to a collision near the Loon Lake exit involving a passenger bus. Police confirmed that RCMP and Emergency Health Services are currently on scene assessing the situation.

The Trans-Canada Highway was closed from Golden, B.C. to Revelstokeand from Sicamous to Revelstoke. Additionally,Highway 31 was closed atLardeau on the north end of KooteneyLake,due to high avalanche risk.

DriveBC said avalanchecontrol work has forced the closure of a portion of Highway 16 connecting Prince Rupert and Terrace from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. PT.

On Friday, ice buildup on SkyTrain lines caused the suspension of service on the Expo Line for several hours in the afternoon, significant delays on the Millennium Line, and closure of the Canada Line between certainstations.

SkyTrain services have resumed though treacherous conditions across the system caused delays on Saturday.

Buses will remain off the roads in the Fraser Valley "until further notice,"according to B.C. Transit.

Freezing rain a significant hazard

Freezing rain when low surface temperatures cause rain to reach freezing temperatures near the ground remains a threat on the South Coast and could lead to icy and slippery conditions. The freezing rain isforecast to turn to regular rain in most regions of the Fraser Valley by Saturday evening.

The province has also forecast that Highway 97 in Pine Pass and other areas of the South Peace region, which shares a border withcentral Alberta,will experience freezing rain starting early on Monday, Dec. 26. This is expected to create potentially hazardous driving conditions.

While up to 70 millimetres of rain continues to fall on most of southwest B.C., much of the central Interior and north is blanketed by winter storm warnings, with many highways expected to see "heavy snow,"according toEnvironment Canada meteorologist BobbySekhon.

"We're not expecting large-scale flooding [in the valley],"Sekhon said.

"The main risk of flooding is actually urban flooding or localized flooding from poor drainage," he said, adding it's important to keep storm drains clear.