It’s going to be a soggy start to the day for parts of B.C. drenched by up to 140 mm or rainfall Friday and overnight.
Environment Canada says the downpour was part of the same intense low-pressure system that has brought heavy rain to most of the South Coast since Thursday night.
“Parts of the South Coast regions have received 120 to 140 mm of rain during the last 24 hours,” the weather organization stated.
From Thursday afternoon up until 4 a.m. Saturday, Pitt Meadows has recorded a whopping 138 mm, the Abbottsford area received 119 mm and Hope had 117 mm.
Meanwhile, West Vancouver recorded 84 mm and Vancouver Harbour received 79 mm.
Rainfall warnings have been ended for most of the south coast, but continue for Hope and the Fraser Canyon. Here's a summary of some rainfall totals up to 4 am today. https://t.co/WpF9mS1RPM #BCstorm pic.twitter.com/GUTyAYOZng
— ECCC Weather British Columbia (@ECCCWeatherBC) February 1, 2020
The cities of Port Coquitlam and Maple Ridge were both hammered with rain overnight, with localized flooding causing road closures and impacting homes. The city of Port Coquitlam opened an emergency service centre for homeowners and was handing out sand to help people protect their homes.
With the brunt of the storm now over, the City of POCO says all roads have reopened and city crews were now focused on cleaning up the streets.
“City crews are out cleaning debris along roadsides and trails. Please continue to use caution along watercourses, parks and trails,” the city tweeted.
Update Feb 1.
— City of PoCo (@CityofPoCo) February 1, 2020
The heavy rainfall warning has now been lifted. All roads are now open.
Our focus now is to cleanup from last night’s weather event. City crews are out cleaning debris along roadsides & trails. Please continue to use caution along watercourses, parks & trails. pic.twitter.com/sCaWq3FzrS
Meanwhile, the City of Maple Ridge is still alerting residents to stay off roads that are flooded and to respect barricades. The city says 224 Street between 132 and 136 Avenue will be reopening shortly, but the section north of 136 Avenue will remain closed until the water levels recede further.
We would remind citizens to stay off of roads that are flooded and to respect barricades. We have reports of people in large pickups and SUVs with dash cams driving though flooded roads as 'tourists.' the wake from vehicles can cause damage to the road and adjacent property. pic.twitter.com/KKE0gVmii8
— City of Maple Ridge (@YourMapleRidge) February 1, 2020
The overnight storm has also left thousands of residents without power, with BC Hydro reporting they were working to restore electricity to 15,000 homes in Chilliwack, 2,250 customers in Hope and 400 customers in Delta.
Rainfall warnings have now been lifted for Metro Vancouver, Fraser Valley, and Fraser Canyon.
