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Storm surge warning issued for parts of southwest B.C. as rains ease; peak expected late morning

Storm surge warning issued for parts of southwest B.C. as rains ease; peak expected late morning

Environment Canada says elevated coastal water levels could surpass tidal predictions near Metro Vancouver, southeast Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands.

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Environment Canada says the next flooding risk for parts of coastal British Columbia comes from a storm surge even as rainfall eases.

The agency warned the surge could affect low-lying and exposed areas across Metro Vancouver, southeast Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands. It said elevated water levels that surpass tidal predictions are expected to be driven by high winds and “enhanced wave activity,” with a peak forecast from 10 a.m. to noon.

The advisory comes after residents north of Squamish, B.C., were told to shelter in place due to flooding triggered by a parade of storms this week.

Most rainfall warnings covering the region were lifted on Thursday, but two yellow warnings remain in effect for western and inland Vancouver Island. Those warnings call for heavy rain into late this afternoon, with the highest rainfall expected near Zeballos and Tahsis in northwest Vancouver Island.

The drenching this week has brought more than 300 millimetres of rain to parts of southwest B.C. The village of Pemberton—about 150 kilometres north of Vancouver—remains under an evacuation alert, with some parts of the community under evacuation order.

Evacuation orders have also been imposed by the Lil’wat First Nation and in Zeballos.

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