Continued heavy rain over parts of the South Coast is prompting evacuation orders and alerts in the Sea-to-Sky region.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Village of Pemberton issued an evacuation order for properties on Airport Road, which includes the community’s airport, wastewater treatment facility, wildland fire management base and a public golf course due to flooding and “high-risk river levels.”
On Wednesday night, the Electoral Area C portion of the valley and the village was put under evacuation alert.
Residents are being told to shelter in place in that area.
Lilʼwat Nation has also expanded an evacuation order and alert for the area from Kwetsa7 along the Lillooet River corridor to Lillooet Lake.
A portion of Highway 99 is also closed from Rancheree Road, east of Pemberton, due to flooding.
“We have high water marks being breached all over the valley,” Jen Ford, chair of the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, told Global News.
“We have three rivers that run through Pemberton, and all of them have seen increased water flows. The Pemberton Valley Dyking District has been out looking at everything. They had a really tough time overnight. Obviously, in the dark, they can’t see what’s going on, but they knew that the water was coming, and they’ve been working really well with our teams to make sure that everyone is being safe.
The River Forecast Centre has put the Sea-to-Sky corridor and Pemberton Valley under a flood warning.
“The rain levels have sort of come and gone, but we are expecting it to pick up again during the day,” Ford said.
“So it’s very uncertain right now as far as where the water levels are.”
Elsewhere, the Strathcona Regional District issued a water conservation notice for the village of Sayward on the northeast coast of Vancouver Island, as high flows in Newcastle Creek lead to extra sediment in the water.
An evacuation order due to flooding and landslide risks remains in place for about 30 properties in the village of Zeballos on northwest Vancouver Island.
Orange rainfall warnings remain in place for west and inland Vancouver Island. A less-severe yellow rainfall warning is active for the Sunshine Coast and parts of east Vancouver Island.
An orange warning designation means severe storms are likely to cause significant damage and disruption.
Environment Canada says several locations reported more than 100 millimetres of rain in the last 48 hours, including Kennedy Lake on Vancouver Island (248 mm), Port Alberni (123 mm), Porteau Cove on the Sea to Sky Highway (140 mm), Whistler (138 mm), and Squamish (134 mm).
-with files from The Canadian Press
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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