Rains abate in southern B.C., but flood alerts continue

Key takeaways:

The danger of snowmelt, and additional flooding, remains great as storms cause high temperatures in the region.
Even though rains reduced in the drenched region, flood alerts continue in place for various parts of southwest B.C.

Rains reduced but flood watch remains in BC:

British Columbia is placed to start reconstructing from widespread flooding and mudslides after the last of three main storms eased off on Wednesday evening, but flood alerts continue in place for extended parts of the region.

Communities hammered by floods, including the Fraser Valley and the Nicola Valley east of Vancouver, continue under a flood alert due to large river levels and raised temperatures making the danger of snowmelt.

A flood watch means river levels are increasing and may pass their banks and flood nearby regions. A flood warning means river levels have passed or will pass their banks, and nearby areas will flood as a consequence.

Various highways also continue shut throughout the region, including Highway 99 within Lillooet and Pemberton due to a mudslide, as well as Highway 3 east of Princeton, necessary for joining Metro Vancouver and the remainder of Canada.

A mudslide on Canadian Pacific train tracks also began to West Coast Express commuter trains being called off, with additional closings on Thursday morning due to a mudslide on the tracks.

The trains were fixed to permit travel within downtown Vancouver and the community of Mission in the Fraser Valley, which has announced evacuation plans due to floodwaters from the nearby Hatzic Lake.

Farther down the Fraser Valley, the city of Abbotsford is seeing the forecast as snowmelt from the nearby Mt. Baker would start to water flowing into the city from over the U.S. border.

The storm systems that caused rain to many of southwest B.C. across the previous two weeks of November also caused elevated temperatures, according to meteorologists.