Environment Canada is warning of more rain for the Fraser Valley this weekend and into early next week, even as floodwaters that inundated parts of Abbotsford earlier this week begin to recede.
In a special weather statement issued early Saturday morning, the weather agency said the already saturated region could see another system move in overnight and persist through Sunday.
This will be followed by a “potentially significant push of moisture” starting Monday, it said.
While rainfall amounts remain uncertain, Environment Canada says warnings will be issued if conditions worsen.
The agency is also cautioning that additional rainfall could increase the risk of landslides, as rainfall may destabilize slopes.
Waters from the Nooksack River in Washington state, which overflowed Thursday, continued to flow across the border Friday, but the City of Abbotsford says the waters have peaked and are gradually dropping.
The city says floodgates are open at the Barrowtown pump station, sending floodwaters out of the Sumas River and into the Fraser River.
The flooding that has filled fields and closed Highway 1 and the Sumas border crossing is reminiscent of floods in 2021 that were also caused by overflows from the Nooksack River.
Emergency Management Minister Kelly Greene has said about 450 properties in B.C. have been evacuated, the majority of them in Abbotsford, with 1,700 under evacuation alert.
Major transportation routes through the Fraser Valley remain shut.
The City of Abbotsford says there is currently no way through the city to Chilliwack or eastern parts of the province, with Highway 1 still closed in both directions between Whatcom Road and No. 3 Road. Subsidiary roads near the highway and throughout Sumas Prairie are also closed.
City officials are warning drivers not to rely on navigation apps, saying Apple Maps is incorrectly showing some side roads as open.
The closure has forced drivers over to Highway 7 and Highway 9 to travel between the Lower Mainland and eastern parts of the Fraser Valley.
DriveBC has a list of all road closures and reopenings.
As of Saturday morning, only one flood warning remained in place for the Sumas River.
The B.C. River Forecast Centre has ended a flood warning for the lower Fraser River, including its tributaries in areas around Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Hope and east through Manning Park.
The centre also ended a flood warning for Similkameen River tributaries including headwater tributaries at and upstream of Princeton and the Tulameen River.
