Here's what you need to know about B.C.'s Fraser Valley flood risk

The rain has mostly stopped Thursday in B.C.'s Fraser Valley, in places like Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Hope, after it was hammered by an intense downpour for 24 hours.

Flooding risk remains, however, as local rivers including those that run across the Canada-U.S. border — such as the Nooksack — continue to swell from the influx of water. And most major highways between the Lower Mainland and Interior remain closed.

There have been no reports so far of catastrophic flooding like what was seen in 2021, but officials say that could still occur.

Chilliwack Mayor Ken Popove told CBC's The Early Edition Thursday morning that he had not heard of any major flooding damage in his area.

"Fingers crossed that things are going to be OK for us out here."

Dave Campbell with B.C.'s River Forecast Centre said it will be well into Thursday evening before water levels in Washington state rivers drop enough that they stop pushing excess flow into Canada.

"The impacts of that could really persist through the evening and into tomorrow," he said.

Dave Campbell with the B.C. River Forecast Centre says up to 150 mm of rain has fallen since the atmospheric river made its way into the region Tuesday night.

A summary from Environment Canada says 140 millimetres of rain fell at the Hope airport on Wednesday, 125 mm at Cultus Lake and 110 mm at the Chilliwack airport.

The City of Abbotsford expanded evacuation orders on Thursday to include an additional 82 properties in Huntington Village.

The city had declared a state of local emergency Wednesday night, putting 371 properties in the Sumas Prairie area under evacuation order, while a further 1,069 properties remain on evacuation alert.

The Clayburn Village evacuation alert has since been lifted.

Other impacts from the rain include:

All major highways leading out of the Lower Mainland were closed Wednesday. But on Thursday morning, DriveBC said Highway 99 had reopened between Pemberton and Lillooet, while Highway 1 also reopened between Lytton and Yale in the Fraser Canyon.