Rainfall records were set in the Victoria area on Saturday and heavy rain continued to fall Sunday on some parts of the Island, but damage appeared to be limited to spot flooding along some roads and a few isolated power outages caused by trees crossing power lines.
Rainfall warnings lifted
Rainfall warnings were lifted Sunday afternoon for western, eastern and inland Vancouver Island.
Another 20 millimetres of rain had been expected to fall between Duncan and Nanaimo.
Heavy rain was also expected in Tofino, Ucluelet, Port Alberni, Bamfield, Port Renfrew, Lake Cowichan, Gold River, Zeballos and Tahsis, with up to 40 mm of rainfall in the forecast.
As of noon Sunday, 317 mm of rain had been recorded at Kennedy Lake, while nearby Tofino had received 218 mm. In Greater Victoria, 67 mm had fallen at the Gonzales weather station in Victoria and 66 mm at the Victoria International Airport.
A daily rainfall record was set Saturday in the Victoria area, with 40.6 mm of rain recorded. The old record for Oct. 19, of 39.1 mm, was set in 1956. Records have been kept since 1874.
Mainland heavily hit
First responders in Coquitlam spent much of the weekend searching for a person missing after their home was washed away in a mudslide triggered by the torrential rain.
Officers responded to a report of the slide along Quarry Road on the east side of Pinecone Burke Provincial Park at about 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Coquitlam RCMP said in a statement issued the next day.
The slide washed away one home, and Cpl. Alexa Hodgins with the Coquitlam detachment said it's believed the home was occupied at the time.
The Mounties said they were communicating with the homeowner's family.
The slide has rendered the road impassable, cutting off several other residents who confirmed with emergency personnel that they were sheltering in place.
West Vancouver saw 134.6 millimetres of rain, smashing the record of 34.8 millimetres set in 1970, and images posted to social media in the city on Saturday showed a surge of brown floodwater flowing down a sloping street.
Environment Canada figures released Sunday afternoon showed Coquitlam had seen 233 millimetres of rain since Friday, while West Vancouver had seen 190 millimetres and just over 160 millimetres fell in the Vancouver harbour area.
Road conditions and closures
Highway 14 remained closed in both directions near Port Renfrew due to a washout between Deering Road and Petrel Drive. A geotechnical investigation of the road is ongoing.
Drivers have been warned to watch for water pooling on a number of Island highways, including the Malahat between the summit and Chemainus.
Flood warnings remain in place
B.C.’s River Forecast Centre maintained flood warnings for waterways on southwestern Vancouver Island, while northern Vancouver Island was under a high streamflow advisory.
The centre noted most rivers experienced some easing overnight but expected another period of rising water Sunday as the next pulse of rain moves through the region.
After being closed to the public Saturday, the Sooke Pot Holes gateway reopened Sunday as water levels in the area receded to safe levels.
Power outages
On Sunday afternoon, almost 1,600 B.C. Hydro customers on Vancouver Island were without power, due to new outages caused by trees down on power lines.
Power outages temporarily affected voting places on Mayne Island (Saanich North and the Islands) and Denman and Hornby islands (Mid Island-Pacific Rim) during Saturday's provincial election.
— With files from The Canadian Press
