Flooding seen in low-lying areas around Metro Vancouver

Some of the flooding seen in Vancouver's Kitsilano neighbourhood, as the region's low-lying areas are seeing water spill onto roadways, parks and sidewalks
The seawall near the Kitsilano Pool closed as a king tide paired with heavy rainfall has made ocean water spill onto the walkway. (Espe Currie, CityNews)

By Greg Bowman

Posted December 27, 2022 12:21 pm.

Last Updated December 28, 2022 7:09 am.

Heavy rainfall, melting snow and a king tide resulted in flooding in some low-lying areas around Metro Vancouver on Tuesday.

Cities around the region warned of such conditions given the factors at hand. Delta, Vancouver, Richmond and others all came out with warnings on Monday ahead of the wet weather that was anticipated Tuesday.

Mayor of Delta, George Harvie, says the area did not see any extensive damage during the height of the tides.

“We were very fortunate that at the very height of the king tide, the wind died down,” he told CityNews on Tuesday.

“A bit of lapping of water over but very minimal damage. Compared to what’s happening in the rest of Canada, we’re very fortunate.”

Harvie says the city had a “very good” action plan and was prepared for the weather event.

In anticipation of the flooding, Vancouver Park Board closed sections of the seawall as ocean levels were expected to pour onto it. That included a section around Stanley Park between the Lions Gate Bridge and English Bay, as well as near the Kitsilano Pool.

Once the high tide came in on Tuesday morning, many took to social media to share the scenes of flooding around the region.

In Vancouver, pictures and videos show the ocean waters near the top of the seawall, in some cases pouring onto it.

“City of Vancouver staff tell me park Rangers will turn people around at this point on the Stanley Park Seawall,” wrote one Twitter user.

Former Park Board commissioner, Tricia Barker, shared a tweet near Sunset Beach, saying “When the king tide makes our public art part of a new island.”

The flood waters also impacted transit in Vancouver. Elevators from the street to the concourse at Vancouver City Centre for the Canada Line are out of service because of the flooding, according to TransLink.

Vancouver resident David Pratt, who lives near Granville Island, told CityNews the weather conditions Tuesday were like nothing he’s ever seen in the city.

“Combine the weather with high tide and all of it, all of the water taxis have been shut down,” he said.

“This is as crazy as I’ve ever seen it and I’ve spent my whole life here.”

London Landing in Richmond is also saw some flooding, with someone sharing photos showing water levels creeping up a sign in the area.

https://twitter.com/ChrisMc23511957/status/1607797385811623937

In Squamish, Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist, Jason Ross, shared a photo of the city’s downtown, with water seen cascading over the roadway.

A rainfall warning was issued for Metro Vancouver, with ECCC calling for up to 80 millimetres of rain in some regions by Wednesday.

Some of the flooding seen in Vancouver's Kitsilano neighbourhood, as the region's low-lying areas are seeing water spill onto roadways, parks and sidewalks
Some of the flooding seen in Vancouver's Kitsilano neighbourhood, as the region's low-lying areas are seeing water spill onto roadways, parks and sidewalks
Some of the flooding seen in Vancouver's Kitsilano neighbourhood, as the region's low-lying areas are seeing water spill onto roadways, parks and sidewalks
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In January, a different king tide event also saw water spill onto Vancouver’s seawall, causing extensive damage to a section near Stanley Park, as well as to the Kitsilano Pool. Repairs to both areas took months.

-With files from Charlene Co and Michael Williams

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