Rain soaked much of southern B.C. over the weekend, with 17 communities breaking daily rainfall records, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.
The federal weather agency said a low pressure system moved through southern B.C. from Friday evening to Saturday afternoon, bringing heavy rain and strong wind gusts.
The highest rainfall was recorded in the Agassiz area, which saw 57.5 millimetres of rain on Saturday, beating the previous record of 36 millimetres set in 2004, according to a preliminary report from Environment Canada.
The White Rock area recorded 49.2 millimetres of rain, exceeding its old record of 29.7 millimetres set in 1977. The Vancouver area received 26.7 millimetres of rain, surpassing the previous record of 17.6 millimetres recorded in 2008.
Rainfall records were also recorded in the Pitt Meadows, Lytton and Yoho National Park areas.
‘Danger tree hazards’ for crews: fire service
The B.C. Wildfire Service said much of the southern part of the province received rain over the weekend.
But it said that was accompanied by heavy winds gusting up to 100 km/h in some areas, which “blew trees down along fire lines in the south” and forced a fire camp in Invermere, B.C., to move to another location. The service said no one was injured.
“Lower fire activity in the south is helping crew efforts with mop up, but danger tree hazards remain,” the agency said in a notice Sunday.
As of Monday morning, the service says the number of active blazes in the province has fallen to 312, continuing a downward trend.
The number of out-of-control wildfires in the province has dropped to 86, with almost half of active fires now classified as “under control.”
The Corya Creek wildfire about 170 kilometres northeast of Terrace, B.C., remains the province’s only wildfire of note, which means the blaze is either highly visible or a possible threat to public safety.
The wildfire service says more than 10,000 square kilometres of land has been burned in B.C. in this year’s fire season starting April 1.
Environment Canada is forecasting some possible precipitation across the province early in the week, but most parts of B.C. will see a return of warmer, drier weather as Labour Day weekend approaches.
Temperatures in Agassiz are forecast to reach 30 C by Friday, while Kelowna could hit 28 C.