B.C. River Forecast Centre upgrades flood warning for part of north coast

British Columbia’s River Forecast Centre has issued an upgraded flood warning for areas around Terrace and Kitimat as an autumn storm soaks the coast.

The centre says the warning covers the Skeena River and its tributaries in the Terrace area, as well as the Kitimat and Kemano rivers and their tributaries.

Its latest bulletin says there were “no specific flood concerns” for the Skeena or Kitsumkalum rivers in the Terrace area as of Thursday, but weather stations near the city had recorded very high amounts of rainfall.

The centre says smaller streams, many of which do not have gauges to record their levels, “may have significant flow responses” to the deluge.

It says the Kitimat River was flowing at a two-year return period, or the average interval between floods of a particular intensity, and rising rapidly on Thursday.

The forecaster is maintaining lower-level flood watches for the rest of the north and central coast — excluding Haida Gwaii — as well as northern Vancouver Island, while high streamflow advisories cover the south coast and Sea to Sky region.

It says rainfall totals so far range from 80 to 100 millimetres or more on the north coast, while western Vancouver Island has seen between 60 to 100 millimetres.

The bulletin says the central and south coast have not yet received significant rain, but that’s expected to change as the storm moves south later Thursday and Friday.

The centre says rainfall amounts forecast through Friday are in the 60 to 120 millimetre range for the central coast, while the south coast and Lower Mainland could see 50 to 130 millimetres, with 40 to 60 millimetres around Pemberton.

The bulletin comes after Environment Canada expanded weather alerts earlier Thursday for parts of the province, saying heavy rain and strong winds were expected over coastal areas and parts of B.C.’s central Interior.

A rainfall warning covers the Howe Sound region, while a lower-level advisory is in effect for Metro Vancouver, warning of moderate rain and strong winds.

In the central Interior, the weather office says winds with gusts of speeds up to 90 kilometres per hour were expected to weaken later Thursday.

In the Fraser Canyon, winds are expected to ease by Friday morning.

BC Hydro has meanwhile told customers to prepare for the weather, including by securing any patio furniture or other loose items outdoors. 

The Crown utility notes 14,000 customers lost power during a windstorm last November when a patio furniture cover blew off a deck in White Rock and struck a substation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2025.