--- title: "Flood warnings and evacuation alert across BC as storms bring up to 250 mm of rain" description: "The BC River Forecast Centre has issued flood warnings for the South Coast, the Pemberton Valley and the Kingcome River. Pemberton issued an evacuation alert on Tuesday evening." canonical_url: "https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/news/bc-storm-floods-remembrance-day-november-11-2026" last_updated: "2026-11-11T19:21:16.978Z" --- A series of storms has brought flood warnings, wind warnings and an evacuation alert to British Columbia on Remembrance Day, with the BC River Forecast Centre reporting that flooding is happening or about to happen across the South Coast, the Pemberton Valley and the Kingcome River. Environment and Climate Change Canada forecast 150 to 200 mm of rain across the South Coast, with totals potentially exceeding 250 mm in some locations. Hourly rates of up to 10 to 15 mm were forecast for parts of Vancouver Island. The Nanaimo News Bulletin reported the rainfall as part of a series of storms that have been hitting BC since last week, hitting ground that is already soaked. ## What the flood warnings cover The BC River Forecast Centre issued or upgraded three flood warnings on November 11: - **Pemberton Valley**: upgraded to flood warning at 8:00 a.m. - **South Coast** (Howe Sound, Sea-to-Sky corridor, North Shore): updated at 8:30 a.m. - **Kingcome River**: upgraded to flood warning at 10:30 a.m. A flood warning is the highest level in BC's system. It means river levels have already exceeded the top of the channel or will do so, causing flooding. The Centre also issued flood watches, one step below, for Vancouver Island and the Central Coast. High streamflow advisories, the lowest level, cover Southern Vancouver Island, the Fraser Valley, the Fraser Canyon and the Chilcotin. ## The Pemberton evacuation alert The Village of Pemberton issued an evacuation alert at 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday, November 10, for properties along Airport Road from number 1674 to number 2000. An evacuation alert means residents at those addresses must be ready to leave immediately if told to. The Village gave heavy rainfall as the reason for flooding in the area. An evacuation alert is not an order. Residents do not have to leave, but they should pack their emergency kit and keep it nearby. Anyone who does not feel safe should leave on their own, without waiting for an order. The Howe Sound and Sea-to-Sky corridor, which includes Pemberton, was forecast to receive 120 to 160 mm of rain. The area is in a narrow valley where river flooding can rise quickly. ## Wind warnings from Victoria to the North Shore Environment and Climate Change Canada had wind warnings in effect across a wide area of southern BC on November 11. The affected regions, as reported by the Nanaimo News Bulletin, included Greater Victoria, Eastern Vancouver Island, the Haro Strait region, the west coast and inland Vancouver Island, and the South Coast. Gusts of up to 90 km/h were forecast near Haro Strait. The agency said winds were expected to ease by the afternoon. The wind warnings were on top of the rainfall warnings. The combination raises the risk of falling trees and downed power lines, particularly in areas already weakened by last week's storms. ## BC Ferries cancels two Comox sailings High winds and rough seas in the Strait of Georgia forced BC Ferries to cancel two sailings on the Comox to Powell River route on November 11. The 9:55 a.m. departure from Little River in Comox and the noon departure from Westview in Powell River were both cancelled. BC Ferries said the decision was made to protect passengers and crew. The next scheduled sailing was the 3:15 p.m. from Little River. CHEK News reported that BC Ferries said more cancellations were possible if conditions got worse. Passengers who had booked the cancelled sailings would be contacted about alternate arrangements or refunds. BC Ferries can be reached at 1-888-223-3779. ## Road and travel risks The Nanaimo News Bulletin reported possible short-notice closures on several major routes: Highway 99 through the Sea-to-Sky corridor, Highway 1 through the Fraser Valley and Fraser Canyon, the Malahat on Vancouver Island, and roads on western Vancouver Island. Pooling water and debris on the road are the main risks. Landslides are possible on steep, deforested or burn-scarred slopes. BC's DriveBC service at drivebc.ca publishes road closures and conditions as they happen. ## Shelters open across BC BC Housing reported on November 10 that the province has 6,588 shelter spaces in 63 communities this winter, including 700 extreme weather response spaces that open when conditions make it dangerous for people to be outside. Those spaces are on top of the 793 temporary winter shelters that run through March 31, 2027. People in need can contact BC Housing, their local municipality, or dial 211 to find shelter in their area. ## What to do if you are in a flood warning area The BC River Forecast Centre recommends that people near rivers under flood warnings stay away from riverbanks and avoid flooded roads. Pemberton residents at the Airport Road addresses from 1674 to 2000 under the evacuation alert should gather their emergency kit and be ready to leave immediately when told to. If you do not feel safe where you are, leave on your own without waiting for an order. Emergency Management BC can be reached through your local municipality or through the province's website. The BC River Forecast Centre updates its list of warnings and watches at bcrfc.env.gov.bc.ca. Environment and Climate Change Canada posts weather warnings at weather.gc.ca. Road conditions are at drivebc.ca. Remembrance Day ceremonies went ahead across BC on November 11. Environment and Climate Change Canada said winds were expected to ease by the afternoon, though rainfall was set to continue through Wednesday. ## Sitemap See the full [sitemap](/bc/provincial-2026/sitemap.md) for all pages.