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Evacuation Alert Issued for Entire Village of Pemberton as Flood Risk Rises

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Thursday, November 12, 2026

Evacuation Alert Issued for Entire Village of Pemberton as Flood Risk Rises

By Paul Harrison, Orbis Weather ยท

The entire Village of Pemberton, British Columbia, is under an evacuation alert for flooding. The Village issued the alert on the evening of Wednesday, November 11, 2026, as a multi-day Pacific storm pushed rivers in the Pemberton Valley toward their banks. EmergencyInfoBC, the province’s emergency information site, posted it by 9:15 p.m. PST (EmergencyInfoBC).

An alert is not an order to leave. It tells everyone in the village to be ready to go on short notice. Nearby areas face stronger measures:

  • Pemberton Valley (Electoral Area C): The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) expanded its own alert to all properties in its part of the valley, warning that “flood waters in this area pose a threat to life and safety” (EmergencyInfoBC).
  • Lil’wat Nation: An evacuation order took effect at 4 p.m. Wednesday for the Lillooet River corridor down to Lillooet Lake (NetNewsLedger; Deep Arrival).
  • Shelter in place: On Thursday morning, residents in and around the village were asked to stay home because “numerous weather-related emergencies” made travel dangerous (CTV News).

No injuries or deaths had been reported in the Pemberton area as of Thursday morning.

What the alert means for residents

An evacuation alert is a warning to get ready, not to leave. If conditions get worse, officials can upgrade it to an evacuation order, which means leaving at once. The Village tells residents to “be ready to leave on short notice” (EmergencyInfoBC).

Official guidance from the Village and the SLRD:

  • Review the household emergency plan and pack a grab-and-go bag for each person.
  • Plan ahead for pets and livestock.
  • Keep phones charged, and park vehicles away from waterways.
  • Check on neighbours who may need help.
  • Never walk or drive through floodwater, and stay clear of fast-moving rivers and unstable banks.
  • Sign up for the Pemberton Alert notification service at pemberton.ca/alert, or SLRD Alert at slrd.bc.ca/alert.

Sources: SLRD flood advisory; BC River Forecast Centre warning via EmergencyInfoBC.

The Village runs a self-serve sandbag station in the Municipal Hall parking lot at 7400 Prospect Street, across from the RCMP station. It is open 24 hours, with sand, bags and shovels provided (Village of Pemberton).

People under the Lil’wat Nation order should go to the รšllฬ“us Community Complex, 82 IR #10 Road, Mount Currie. Emergency Social Services handles registration and support there. For help leaving home, call 604-895-6115 (EmergencyInfoBC). SLRD residents who need transport can call its 24/7 line at 604-384-7357.

The storm behind the alert

Days of heavy Pacific rain have pushed the Lillooet River and its tributaries to flood levels. At 8 a.m. Wednesday, the BC River Forecast Centre upgraded its Flood Watch for the Pemberton Valley to a Flood Warning, its highest level. A Flood Warning means rivers have exceeded their banks or soon will (BC River Forecast Centre).

The warning forecast a further 1.2 to 2.8 in (30 to 70 mm) of rain in Pemberton and 2.8 to 5.1 in (70 to 130 mm) at Meager Creek, upstream in the Lillooet headwaters. It expected river levels to keep rising into Thursday. Gauge readings at 7:50 a.m. Wednesday:

Gauge

Flow

Note

Lillooet River near Pemberton

6,360 cu ft/s (180 mยณ/s)

Rising

Miller Creek

1,330 cu ft/s (37.6 mยณ/s)

Rising

Pemberton Creek at Pemberton

730 cu ft/s (20.7 mยณ/s)

Between a 2-year and 5-year flow

Source: BC River Forecast Centre, using Water Survey of Canada gauges.

Lil’wat Chiefs and Council expected the Lillooet River to reach about 29,700 to 38,800 cu ft/s (840 to 1,100 mยณ/s). They expected it to spill into low-lying areas overnight into Thursday morning (Deep Arrival). That figure comes from a single news report, not a River Forecast Centre bulletin.

The rain has been heavy across southwestern B.C. By 5 p.m. Wednesday, Port Mellon on Howe Sound had recorded 11.0 in (279 mm) and Whistler’s Callaghan Valley 4.0 in (102 mm), according to Environment and Climate Change Canada figures reported by NetNewsLedger. Officials also warned that Pemberton Creek could overflow near One Mile Lake and cover Highway 99, cutting the route south to Whistler (NetNewsLedger). Official notices early Thursday did not report a full closure of the highway.

Across the province, BC Hydro reported about 490,000 customers had lost power at some point since the first storm arrived on Friday, November 6, according to NetNewsLedger.

Why the Pemberton Valley floods

Pemberton sits on a broad valley floor where several rivers meet, so it has a long history of autumn floods. The Lillooet, Ryan, Birkenhead and Green rivers and Pemberton and Miller creeks all drain into the valley. Most big floods come in October and November from “rain-on-snow” storms. In these, a warm, moist Pacific system falls on early snow in the mountains (Pemberton Valley Dyking District).

Peak flows on the Lillooet River in past floods give a sense of scale:

Date

Event

Lillooet River peak flow

October 18, 2003

Atmospheric river, rain on snow

52,600 cu ft/s (1,490 mยณ/s)

August 30, 1991

Summer freshet

49,800 cu ft/s (1,410 mยณ/s)

October 8, 1984

Rain on snow

46,300 cu ft/s (1,310 mยณ/s)

Source: Pemberton Valley Dyking District.

The October 2003 flood is the benchmark. The Lillooet broke through its levee system early on October 18, leaving much of the valley under 3 ft (1 m) or more of water. The same storm collapsed the Highway 99 bridge over Rutherford Creek south of Pemberton, killing several people whose vehicles fell into the creek (Pique Newsmagazine). More recently, in 2021, a heat-dome snowmelt forced evacuations along Airport Road in Pemberton (Pique Newsmagazine).

The river has also changed. In 2010, the Capricorn Creek landslide on Mount Meager sent about 65 million cubic yards (50 million mยณ) of sediment into the Lillooet valley. As that material moves downstream, it raises the riverbed and makes it easier for water to top the banks in populated areas. The valley relies on a network of dikes, which the Pemberton Valley Dyking District maintains and monitors (Pique Newsmagazine).

What happens next

The next 24 hours depend on how quickly the rain eases and the rivers crest. The River Forecast Centre expected levels to keep rising into Thursday. Environment Canada forecast the rain to ease on Thursday morning, according to NetNewsLedger. The Lillooet usually peaks about 12 hours after heavy rain or melt, so the river can keep rising after the rain stops, according to the Pemberton Valley Dyking District.

The alert stays in place until the Village lifts it or upgrades it to an order. The Lil’wat Nation order runs until 4 p.m. on November 18 unless it is lifted or extended earlier (Deep Arrival).

Where to get official updates

In an emergency, call 911.

Frequently asked questions

Do Pemberton residents have to leave now? Not under the Village alert. It asks residents to be ready to leave on short notice. People inside the Lil’wat Nation order area along the Lillooet River must leave now.

What is the difference between an evacuation alert and an order? An alert means be prepared, because conditions could become dangerous. An order means leave immediately, because there is a risk to life. Officials can upgrade an alert to an order at any time.

Is Highway 99 open? CTV News reported that flooding had blocked roads around Pemberton on Thursday morning, but official notices early Thursday did not confirm a full closure of Highway 99. However, officials warned that Pemberton Creek could flood the highway near One Mile Lake. Check DriveBC before travelling, and avoid non-essential trips.

Has Pemberton flooded like this before? Yes. In October 2003, the Lillooet River broke through its levees and flooded much of the valley. Gauge readings early Wednesday were well below that flood’s peak, but rivers were still rising.

Sources

Official

News

About the Author

Paul Harrison โ€” Founder & Publisher, Orbis Weather

Paul Harrison founded Orbis Weather in 2026 to make global weather and natural-hazard information easier to find, follow and understand. His coverage includes tropical cyclones, severe weather, extreme temperatures, earthquakes, volcanoes, wildfires, flooding and significant natural disasters worldwide.

View all articles by Paul Harrison โ†’ | Editorial Standards โ†’

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