Drenching rains sever routes between B.C.’s Lower Mainland and Interior

By Canadian Press on December 10, 2025.

VANCOUVER — B.C. Emergency Management Minister Kelly Greene says highway closures have cut off the Lower Mainland from the Interior as a series of atmospheric river weather systems drench the province.

Greene told a news conference that the City of Abbotsford has also put about 1,000 properties under evacuation alert, while several properties in neighbouring Chilliwack were earlier put under evacuation order.

In addition to Highway 99 connecting the Lower Mainland and the Interior, closures have also hit Highway 1 where Janelle Staite with the Transportation Ministry says a “significant amount” of water is crossing the road near Hope and Highway 9.

Staite says closures are in place on Highway 7 west of Hope, Highway 3 in the Allison Pass area, and the Coquihalla between Hope and Merritt.

Connie Chapman, executive director of water management, says that while rain in the Fraser Valley is easing, the Nooksack River across the U.S. border will continue to top its banks into early Thursday.

She says the volume of water coming out of the Nooksack is similar to the amount seen in 2021 when its outflows caused catastrophic flooding in the Fraser Valley, resulting in billions of dollars in damage.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 10, 2025.

The Canadian Press