Evacuation orders, alerts on Vancouver Island, but forecaster doubts floods will last

A woman walks her dog in the rain at Locarno Beach in Vancouver, B.C., Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

Heavy rain brought by an atmospheric river system has swollen rivers across British Columbia’s south coast and triggered a series of evacuation orders, alerts and warnings, but the head of the province’s River Forecast Centre says any flooding isn’t expected to last.

The Regional District of Nanaimo says one property has been ordered evacuated while another 58 properties are on evacuation alert due to concerns about flooding from the Englishman River near Parksville, about 140 kilometres northwest of Victoria.

The River Forecast Centre says the Englishman River has reached or exceeded flood levels and is expected to near or surpass five-to-10-year flows in some areas.

It says there’s the possibility of road washouts, landslides, localized flooding and swift water hazards, while the rest of Vancouver Island is under a flood watch as rivers rise.

But David Campbell, head of the River Forecast Centre, said the flooding shouldn’t persist.

“It’s difficult to forecast, but it also is one of those things that is often not as long lived,” said Campbell.

Campbell said the heavy rain should be over on Monday evening.

“So, I think once we get through the high flows that we’re experiencing right now, tomorrow and the rest of the week should be much better. And I suspect by tomorrow, we’ll be pulling down all of the flood warnings, flood watches and advisories that we have in place,” said Campbell.

Emergency Management Cowichan had told residents of 10 properties in the Chemainus Bridge area to evacuate on Monday morning, but later rescinded the order for the area about 71 kilometres north of Victoria, saying the “immediate threat to properties and life” had passed.

It said roads were still impacted, with Chemainus Road still closed.

A rainfall warning covered most of Vancouver Island’s west coast and inland regions late Monday, as well as parts of Metro Vancouver, Howe Sound, Fraser Valley, Highway 3 from Hope to Princeton and the Coquihalla from Hope to Merritt.

The forecast called for up to 200 millimetres of rainfall in the Howe Sound region, where Port Mellon received more than 73 millimetres on Sunday, while as much as 150 millimetres could fall in the parts of Metro Vancouver north of the Fraser River.

Coastal Vancouver Island was expected to get as much as 250 millimetres of rain, and inland areas of the island were forecast to get up to 140 millimetres by the end of Monday.

An evacuation alert was issued Sunday for parts of the Fraser Valley, for some properties along the Chilliwack River, with residents asked to be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice due to high river flows.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 12, 2026.