Boats are seen along the Alberni Inlet, looking towards Mount Underwood south of Port Alberni, B.C., on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

By The Canadian Press

Atmospheric-river drenching persists after 200 mm of rain falls on parts of B.C.

Mar 18, 2026 | 8:25 AM

VANCOUVER — The drenching for parts of British Columbia from an atmospheric river event is forecast to continue, adding to more than 200 millimetres of rain for coastal areas since it began earlier this week.

Environment Canada says that by 5 p.m. Tuesday, the Kennedy Lake Highway Station on Vancouver Island had recorded almost 223 millimetres of rainfall, while Estevan Point had reported 201 millimetres by 8 a.m. that day.

Other locations that have seen heavy rain since Sunday include Ucluelet and Tofino on Vancouver Island, Port Melon in the Howe Sound and Burnaby Mountain in Metro Vancouver.

The same weather event has also dumped 38 centimetres of snow further north on the community of Terrace, as well as 42 centimetres in Stewart near the Alaska border and 33 centimetres further inland in Blue River.

Western Vancouver Island and B.C.’s central coast remain under an elevated orange-level rainfall warning, while a lesser rain warning is in effect for inland Vancouver Island, the northern regions of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.

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A flood watch by B.C.’s River Forecast Centre also remains in place for the central coastal regions of the province, including Bella Bella and Bella Coola.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 18, 2026.

The Canadian Press