'High impact' warning as heavy rain returns, causing more flooding concerns in B.C.

The B.C. government says heavy rain may cause more flooding in low-lying areas in the province, with parts of Metro Vancouver under a new flood warning.

The River Forecast Centre has upgraded a flood watch for the North Shore of Metro Vancouver to a flood warning, with the Seymour River reaching a 50-year flow this morning — and it's still rising.

Nearby, a stretch of Highway 99 from Pemberton to Lillooet, as well as Highway 1 through the Fraser Canyon from Hope to Lytton, have been closed proactively due to rain.

BC Hydro says about 24,000 customers in the Lower Mainland, including Metro Vancouver, are without power, with the outage covering wide swaths of West Vancouver, North Vancouver and Langley in the Fraser Valley.

There, the province says the Sumas and Chilliwack Rivers remain under flood warnings, and Environment Canada is warning of "high impact" rainfall in the Fraser and Skagit valleys.

However, it's expected to be less intense than downpours last week that triggered widespread flooding in Abbotsford.

The city's mayor and fire chief say they're pleased Highway 1 was reopened in both directions over the weekend, but dozens of properties are still under evacuation order with hundreds more still on alert after the flooding across the Sumas Prairie.

The province says the flooding situation from the coming rain is uncertain and tough to predict, and some highways may have to be closed on short notice, including the Coquihalla from Hope to Merritt.

Officials say Vancouver Island is also poised for heavy rainfall, and the province will be watching routes, including Highway 4, Bamfield Road and other roads, due to possible landslides and falling trees from wind. 

Environment Canada has issued a slew of rain warnings across B.C., including for Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, Howe Sound and much of the province's coast, with some regions expected to see up to 80 millimetres of rain in higher elevations. 

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns