Agassiz

An atmospheric river brought flooding to southern B.C., prompting a local state of emergency and evacuation orders in Abbotsford’s Sumas Prairie, multiple highway closures including the Coquihalla, and helicopter rescues on the Chilliwack River. Some routes partially reopened Thursday, but officials urged essential travel only.

An atmospheric river shattered daily rainfall records across B.C.’s South Coast on Dec. 10, with Hope receiving 134.2 mm, prompting a local state of emergency and evacuations in the Fraser Valley. More wet weather is expected despite warnings being lifted.

A teenager in British Columbia has tested positive for H5N1 avian influenza and remains in critical condition, with health officials unable to identify the source of exposure despite extensive contact tracing.

Chum salmon have returned to Chilliwack Creek in British Columbia for the first time in 75 years, thanks to a riparian restoration project led by local First Nations.

The H5N1 strain of avian flu has been detected on a poultry farm in Chilliwack, British Columbia, marking the first confirmed case in the province this fall and prompting increased precautions among poultry farmers.

There were alternatives for Trans Mountain Corporation to digging a trench in the river to lay pipe during the time the salmon were running.

It's coming up to peak flood season in BC with extra thick snowpack melting into rivers. On top of that, an atmospheric river is coming.

All 275 people were expected to be rescued by the end of Monday, said B.C. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth, adding that there had been no reported fatalities. The Agassiz fire department was credited with saving 12 people Sunday night in “treacherous conditions,” as their vehicles filled with debris and water.

Extreme rain swamped rivers and farmland across southern B.C. and triggered mudslides that blocked every major highway connecting the Lower Mainland to the rest of the country in November 2021. This is a timeline of the first week of the crisis.

A federal regulator has lifted a stop-work order on tree cutting and grass mowing along the route of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project.

Also dubbed the murder hornet, the invasive wasps threaten pollinators and have been found in communities along both sides of the Canada-U.S. border and on Vancouver Island. B.C. officials will focus on the Fraser Valley in their efforts to track and eradicate Asian giant hornets this year.

Minks have been discovered to be susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. A coronavirus outbreak has been declared at a Fraser Valley mink farm after eight people at the site tested positive for COVID-19.

Sockeye salmon are migrating up B.C.'s Fraser River right now, but the water is so warm the fish may die before they have the chance to spawn.

Swimmers have reported feeling nausea, itchy skin and irritated eyes after vising the popular lake.

Agassiz broke a record that goes back more than 100 years

Fisheries Minister Gail Shea is crowing about the opportunities with the 2010 return of sockeye to the Fraser river, calling it a  banner year for Fraser River sockeye salmon. This year's return is currently set at just over 25 million fish, one of the highest returns in the last hundred years. Several fishery openings for Fraser River sockeye have already occurred in 2010 and more are planned, she said.

The fish measured 56 inches in circumference and weighed 800 lbs. Its age is not known, but it could be more than 100 years old, given its size. The monster sturgeon had never been tagged before, so this may have been the first time it was caught.

Weather systems that carry warm air inland, bringing not just rain, but also pushing up freezing levels, causing rapid snowpack melting. The atmospheric river hitting B.C.'s central coast will also pose a risk in the Interior.

Interior communities are shoring up dikes and roadways in preparation for another atmospheric river system expected Tuesday and into Wednesday. Officials say they are making progress helping displaced residents access services and are taking steps to save homes from further flood damage.