My thanks to the many loyal readers and podcast listeners and a special thanks to those who have supported this effort through a paid subscription and/or donation. You’ve made Vancouver Rundown a huge success over the past year - reader and listener growth has more than doubled in 2025. Vancouver Rundown is now on a break but will resume publication Tuesday January 6, 2026. Happy Holidays. - Bruce

Boxing Day - that’s the new ‘best guess’ estimate as to when Highway 3 will reopen between Hope and Princeton. Flood-damage will take months to repair but the Ministry of Transportation expects to build a temporary detour in the area with a 30 km/h speed limit. Until Friday, drivers will still have to take Highway 5 to get to the Southern Interior.

Heavy rain, strong winds and even some high elevation snow is expected to continue into the weekend as B.C.’s South Coast copes with more stormy weather. A wind advisory has been posted for eastern parts of the Fraser Valley. Isolated flooding is still possible in areas around the Chilliwack River. Meanwhile, those heading into the B.C. Interior could still find challenges - Highway 3 remains closed between Hope and Manning Park due to flood damage. Snow and blowing snow can be expected on the Coquihalla Highway and parts of Highway One through the Fraser Canyon.

Crews have restored power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses in the Lower Mainland. A windstorm that started Tuesday night and continued into Wednesday morning across southern B.C., knocked out power to close to 120,000 BC Hydro customers. Winds hit over 100 km/h in several areas causing trees and branches to come down on numerous roads and power lines from Vancouver Island through to the West Kootenay.

Meanwhile, all remaining flood evacuation orders have been cancelled in Abbotsford. Those living on Sumas Prairie are now allowed to go home as flooding subsides. The BC River Forecast Centre has downgrading its flood warning to a high stream advisory.

Heavy rain that continued into early Wednesday morning is putting a damper on efforts to recover from flooding on the South Coast. Close to 1200 properties remain on evacuation alert - 100 are on evacuation order. While flood waters started to recede in most areas on Tuesday, downpours continued into Tuesday night. Highway 3 remains closed from Hope to Manning Park due to landslide damage. A few thousand BC Hydro customers remain without power after strong winds on Monday and Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the rain swollen Coquihalla River has cut a new channel through the golf course in Hope. Those at the Hope Golf and Country Club estimate up to 15 per cent of the course has been washed away by recent flooding. Hole No.7 is an island. A dollar cost damage assessment has not yet been made.

Close to 90,000 BC Hydro customers were left without power at the height of Monday’s windstorm on the South Coast. About 50,0000 of those were on the Sunshine Coast and Lower Mainland - the rest on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. The hardest hit areas included parts of Hope, Chilliwack, Langley, Maple Ridge, Duncan, Victoria and Qualicum. At one point, downed tree limbs cut off vehicle access to Fraser Canyon Hospital in Hope.

Meanwhile, a woman is dead after being hit by a falling tree near Chilliwack. RCMP say she was walking with two young children at Island 22 Monday afternoon when a wind gust brought down the tree. Victim Services has been called in to help the family.

More flooding is still possible and Fraser Valley residents are being told to prepare. The impact of a weather system that hit Sunday night is now triggering new concerns about creeks, rivers and low lying areas. Flood warnings remain in place for the Chilliwack and Sumas Rivers and up to 70mm or rain could fall in some areas by the end of Monday. That has police and local governments concerned as areas from Abbotsford east beyond Manning Park continue to recover from last week’s atmospheric river. The Ministry of Emergency Management says drivers and residents need to brace for the next round of stormy weather.

Highway One has been closed between Whatcom Road and Sumas Way as Abbotsford continues to deal with expanding flood waters from the Nooksack River, south of the border. Detours have been in effect. Even though the torrential rain eased-off on Thursday, new evacuation orders have been issued late Thursday for a few Abbotsford properties including the Clarion Hotel. Close to 1,500 properties on Sumas Prairie remain under an evacuation order.

Meanwhile, two U.S. Coast Guard helicopters have been used to rescue stranded residents in Sumas, Washington, just south of Abbotsford. Those on a MH-60 Jayhawk and a MH-65 Dolphin conducted a long-line rescue for four people stranded near the Huntingdon-Sumas border late Thursday afternoon after flood waters reached chest-deep levels. Sumas Mayor Bruce Bosch says a Friday assessment will determine if this flood is worse than the one in 2021.

Thursday will be an assessment and recovery day after torrential rains caused Fraser Valley flooding and cut three highway routes between the B.C. Interior and the Lower Mainland. Heavy rains triggered a handful of evacuation orders in areas including the Chilliwack River Valley. Evacuation alerts had been issued for other areas including Abbotsford’s Clayburn Village and Sumas Prairie West. Access to the Huntingdon-Sumas border crossing remained closed except for local residents.

Small slides, flooding and hazardous conditions are responsible for closing many of the main out-of-town highways. As of Wednesday night, Highway One had been closed heading east at Highway 9 and also between Hope and Lytton. Other closures included the Hope-Princeton Highway, the Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt and even the Lougheed Highway west of Hope.

Meanwhile, the flood siren at the City Hall in Sumas, Washington has been going off as Whatcom County deals with numerous problems relating to the overflowing Nooksack River. Water has been flowing over Main Street in Everson and Mount Baker Highway has been closed at Silver Lake. Close to 100,000 people in Western Washington are subject to evacuation alerts or orders.

Rain and flood advisories have been posted for much of the south coast as stormy weather is expected to continue through Wednesday. The heaviest downpours are expected in eastern parts of the Fraser Valley, Skagit Valley and Manning Park - orange rainfall warnings are in effect and localized flooding is expected. The atmospheric river should ease off by late Wednesday night.