Flood warning issued for Terrace and Kitimat regions as rainfall continues

Published 8:30 pm Friday, October 24, 2025

The B.C. River Forecast Centre has upgraded its alert for the Terrace and Kitimat areas to a flood warning, as rivers continue to rise in response to heavy rainfall.

“Event precipitation totals so far are in the 80–100+ millimetre range for the North Coast, with particularly high totals centered around the Terrace and Kitimat areas,” the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship stated in an Oct. 23 update.

The advisory, issued at 3:45 p.m., affects rivers and tributaries to the Skeena River around Terrace, as well as the Kitimat and Kemano rivers and their tributaries. A flood warning is the highest alert level issued by the province and indicates that affected rivers have exceeded or are expected to exceed bankfull conditions, with flooding anticipated in nearby areas.

At 2 p.m. local time, the Kitimat River was flowing at a 2-year return period and rising rapidly. Its major tributaries — Little Wedeene River and Hirsch Creek — were also increasing in flow. As of 10 a.m. on Oct. 24, the District of Kitimat was under a boil water advisory due to high levels of turbidity in the water supply.

Although river levels are also rising in the Terrace area, no specific flood concerns have been identified for the Skeena River or the Kitsumkalum River. At the time of the latest assessment, both were flowing below a 1-year return period. However, several smaller ungauged streams in the region may be experiencing significant flow increases.

The centre is maintaining a flood watch for the broader North Coast region — including rivers near New Aiyansh, Nass River, and Prince Rupert — and for parts of the Central Coast such as the Kingcome and Wannock (Wuikinuxv) rivers. A flood watch indicates river levels are rising and may approach or exceed bankfull, potentially causing flooding in adjacent areas.

The current storm system began affecting the North Coast late Wednesday and continued into Thursday. It is now moving south, with rainfall forecast to persist across the Central Coast, South Coast, and Vancouver Island into Friday. Temperatures are not expected to rise significantly, and while snow may fall at higher elevations, no substantial snowmelt is anticipated.