British ColumbiaThe rain has mostly stopped Thursday morning in B.C.’s Fraser Valley, in places like Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Hope, after it was hammered by an intense downpour for 24 hours. But officials say flooding risks remain. Here’s what you need to know.Abbotsford under state of local emergency, most major highways leading out of Lower Mainland closedChad Pawson · CBC News · Posted: Dec 11, 2025 9:49 AM EST | Last Updated: 33 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.A flooded yard is pictured on Chilliwack Lake Road, along the Chilliwack River, on Wednesday, Dec. 10. (Ben Nelms/CBC)The rain has mostly stopped Thursday morning in B.C.’s Fraser Valley, in places like Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Hope, after it was hammered by an intense downpour for 24 hours. Flooding risk remains, however, as local rivers including those that run across the Canada-U.S. border continue to swell from the influx of water. And several major highways between the Lower Mainland and Interior remain closed.There have been no reports so far of catastrophic flooding like what was seen in 2021, but officials say that could still occur.Chilliwack Mayor Ken Popove told CBC’s The Early Edition Thursday morning that he had not heard of any major flooding damage in his area.”Fingers crossed that things are going to be OK for us out here.”Hope got 140 mm of rainA summary from Environment Canada says 140 millimetres of rain fell at the Hope airport on Wednesday, 125 mm at Cultus Lake and 110 mm at the Chilliwack airport.In an update on city social media pages around 1 a.m. PT Thursday, City of Abbotsford Mayor Ross Siemens said modelling done in conjunction with B.C. and Washington state officials showed flood waters expected to “arrive at the early morning hours of Thursday morning.”The city declared a state of local emergency around 11 p.m. PT Wednesday, which forced residents from 371 properties under an evacuation order and put others on an evacuation alert. A further eight properties are under evacuation order in Chilliwack. Other impacts from the rain include:Closures of most major highways leading out of the Lower Mainland.Closure of the Sumas Border crossing in both directions.Closure of all schools in the Fraser-Cascade School District on Thursday due to highway closures.Closure of Semá:th Elementary school in Abbotsford on Thursday due to the evacuation order.Evacuation alerts from the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen in places like Tulameen.PHOTOS | Atmospheric river drenches southern B.C:Some highways reopenAll major highways leading out of the Lower Mainland were closed Wednesday. But on Thursday morning, DriveBC said Highway 99 had reopened between Pemberton and Lillooet, while Highway 1 also reopened between Lytton and Yale in the Fraser Canyon.Flood warnings and watches for Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Hope and other parts of the eastern Fraser Valley along the lower Fraser River tributaries and the Sumas River are in place.The River Forecast Centre says the heavy rain brings the potential for spillover from the Nooksack River in Washington state, the same problem that set off devastating and costly flooding in November of 2021.Washington state local emergencyWashington state was under a state of emergency Thursday morning from a barrage of torrential rain that has sent rivers flowing over their banks, caused a mudslide to crash down on a highway and trapped people in floodwaters. Tens of thousands of residents could face evacuation orders there. Ben MacDicken, an operations manager for Sultan Public Works, places sandbags at the city’s post office on Wednesday, Dec. 10 in Sultan, Snohomish County, Wash. (Nick Wagner/The Seattle Times via AP)After days of seemingly unrelenting heavy rain, Gov. Bob Ferguson declared a state-wide emergency Wednesday night, warning “lives will be at stake in the coming days.” Some residents have already been ordered to higher ground, with Skagit County, a major agricultural region north of Seattle, ordering those within the Skagit River’s floodplain to evacuate.Flood watches and high stream flow advisories are also in place across much of the southern portion of B.C.ABOUT THE AUTHORChad Pawson is a CBC News reporter in Vancouver. Please contact him at chad.pawson@cbc.ca.With files from CBC’s The Early Edition
Here’s what you need to know about Fraser Valley flood risk
