Monday’s torrential downpour was wild, to say the least.
Greater Victoria saw about 90 millimeters of rain throughout the day, and other parts of BC received between 140 to 180 millimeters of rain.
Throughout Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Metro, and Interior BC, British Columbians were hit with intense weather that did not cease until this morning.
Landslides, mudslides, flash floods, water pooling persisted throughout the day, shutting down major highways in affected areas.
On Vancouver Island, the Malahat highway closed in both directions at Finlayson Arm Road near Goldstream due to extreme flooding. The Mill Bay/Brentwood Bay ferry ran overnight to combat the closure.
Watch a video of the flood below:
⚠️ JUST IN: Malahat closed in both directions at Finlayson Arm Road due to extreme flooding in the area.
West Shore RCMP are advising motorists to stay off the roads if possible.
Video by Shaun Hunt #victoriabuzz #yyjtraffic pic.twitter.com/hq1weX4Scx
— Victoria Buzz (@victoriabuzzes) November 15, 2021
Emergency crews took measures to try to de-flood the highway. Check a photo out below:
Please Share: Try to avoid travel on #VancouverIsland #BChwy14 and #BCHwy1 right now. Heavy rain has impacted the roadways including the #Malahat
Here are the @DriveBC major events (in red text): https://t.co/GiQzSpjUi9 pic.twitter.com/ErgFzt3CIo— BC Transportation (@TranBC) November 15, 2021
The Cowichan Valley Regional District issued a local state of emergency for the Cowichan Valley and many neighbouring communities due to the heavy rainfall hitting the province:
Briarwood in the Cowichan Valley. #millbaybc pic.twitter.com/w3QQCeADT7
— CowValleyBiker (@cowvalleybiker) November 15, 2021
At Mount Doug Parkway, the road was closed to traffic in both directions.
Traffic advisory update
Mt. Doug Parkway is open for traffic in both directions. Thank you for your patience.
Stay safe out there!#YYJTraffic pic.twitter.com/R2EtXIuv1W
— District of Saanich (@saanich) November 15, 2021
On the mainland, more extreme flooding occurred. In the video below, Abbotsford appears to look almost completely submerged in water. Highways and travel to and from Abbotsford are still closed until further notice :
#BCStorm update: Crews completed an aerial inspection this morning of our power lines along Highway 1 just east of Sumas in #Abbotsford affected by flooding. We’re continuing to post the latest outage updates here: https://t.co/nxhBxNPfKJ pic.twitter.com/VPxjGXDZqi
— BC Hydro (@bchydro) November 16, 2021
No fatalities or casualties due to the extreme have been recorded as of this publication.
While the rain stopped early Monday afternoon, extreme wind began to take over. Victoria recorded wind gusts of 94 km/h and Race Rocks recorded 115 km/h wind.
Extreme weather in BC is becoming somewhat of the norm. Less than five months ago, BC experienced an extreme heat wave across the province
Check out more videos and photos from the extreme weather on Monday below:
@brookieervin Langford flooded . Stop signs almost under water . All in one day . #omg #water #flood #bc #vancouverisland #fy #fypシ #fyp
@victoriabcbuzz You know it’s a bad day when you’re using a broom for a paddle.. in your house. 😬 #fyp #bcstorm #victoriabc #britishcolumbia video by @k_toussaint