A man uses an umbrella to shield himself from the rain while walking on the Stanley Park seawall across the water from downtown Vancouver on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

By The Canadian Press

Flood risks rise as atmospheric river hits B.C., bringing rain, snow and wind

Mar 16, 2026 | 10:40 AM

VANCOUVER — Parts of British Columbia are now under flood watches as an atmospheric river arrives along the coast, triggering a string of weather warnings and watches.

The B.C. River Forecast Centre says northern and western Vancouver Island and the central coast are now under flood watch, with rising temperatures expected to create snowmelt that will add to the heavy rain.

High-streamflow advisories are in place for the southern B.C. coast, including Metro Vancouver, Greater Victoria, eastern Vancouver Island, the North Coast and the upper Fraser region, encompassing Prince George.

At higher elevations, the system is expected to generate heavy snow, with Environment Canada issuing a winter storm warning for the ski resort community of Whistler and sections of the Sea to Sky Highway.

Up to 20 centimetres of snow is expected to fall before it turns to rain later Monday, while winter storm warnings are also in place for the inland portions of the northern and central coasts.

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Avalanche Canada says the heavy rain also brings an increased avalanche threat, marking the danger rating as high for many regions in the province and the hazards are expected to increase through the week.

“Of all the regions about to get walloped by this storm, the central Columbias is our top contender for weak layers producing large, destructive avalanches,” Avalanche Canada says on its site, suggesting people “steer clear” of avalanche terrain.

Environment Canada says the atmospheric river is expected to bring up to 250 millimetres of rain to some areas by Wednesday, and warnings, ranging from rain to wind and snowfall, cover much of Vancouver Island, the Howe Sound, the North Shore of Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Canyon, the Okanagan and central Interior from Williams Lake to Prince George.

Wind gusts of up to 90 kilometres an hour are forecast for the Fraser Canyon and the Chilcotin regions, while travel on Highway 16 toward the Alberta boundary and Highway 97 through northeastern B.C. will be hampered by snowfall.

The River Forecast centre says the flood risks in the coastal regions of B.C. are likely to rise as the atmospheric river moves across the province throughout the week.

“Current forecasts indicate that multiple pulses of precipitation may impact the region through early to mid-week,” the flood watch advisory for the central coast says.

Rain totals from Sunday through Wednesday will range from 100 to 200 millimetres for many coastal locations, including Prince Rupert, Kitimat, Bella Bella, Bella Coola, and Kingcome Inlet, the advisory says.

“The combination of increasing rainfall intensity and rising freezing levels into Monday is expected to increase run-off across the region, particularly in the central Coast where the heaviest precipitation is forecast.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 16, 2026.

The Canadian Press