February 28, 1980 Source: The Province, February 28, 1980. Details: February 28, three avalanches closed the Salmo to Creston section of Highway 3. Highway maintenance crews hoped to reopen the highway on February 28. Traffic over the Rogers Pass section of the Trans-Canada Highway was also delayed by avalanche stabilisation work. March 1980 Source: Campbell River Courier-Islander, February 16, 2007. Details: In March, a section of bank let loose, slamming into what was then called the Island Inn Motel and causing extensive damage. March 12, 1980 Source: Campbell River Courier, March 14, 1980; The Campbell River and area Mirror, March 19, 1980. Details: Starting 10 p.m. on March 12, southeast winds caused power outages between Courtenay-Kelsy Bay, including Quadra Island. The Campbell River airport recorded winds as high as 80 km/h. A heavy blanket of wet snow compounded the problem. In the Black Creek and Campbell River area, about 11 cm of snow fell, while the Campbell River airport received 30 cm. At Campbell River’s Tyee Spit, some floatplanes sank under the weight of the snow. A large helicopter was used to raise two of the aircraft. Early June 1980 Source: Victoria Times, June 6, 1980. Details: In early June, heavy rains caused several mud- and debris slides about 25 km north of Lytton. On June 6, this section of the Trans-Canada Highway reopened to one lane traffic. November 1980 Source: The Vancouver Sun, November 28, 1980; January 3, 1981; The Province, December 1 and 10, 1980; January 7, 1981. Details: In November, Vancouver experienced the wettest month in half a century. Its total rainfall of 310.9 mm was more than double the average of 145 mm and eclipsed the all-time record of 300.2 mm set in December 1972. *1) About 15-20 years before the town was built, the last known mudslide in Elkford occurred. According to Alan Elford, editor of the Elkford Ragg, “it just slid into the river and pushed the (Elk) river out of its normal bank.” Because Fording Coal, the town’s major employer, knew of the slide danger before it built the town 10 years earlier, the provincial government ordered the company to pay the cost of relocating the residences and ten business from the affected area. It involved moving 75 mobile homes, a 250-unit apartment building and several stores and residences on the triangle bordered by the Elk River to the west and the highway through town to the east. On December 1, Fording Coal Ltd. stated they were working on plans to move the buildings at Elkford, about 60 km east of Cranbrook. Early January 1981, Fording Coal officials called the report of mudslide hazards inaccurate but planned to relocate some workers anyway. They noted not to be bitter about the dispute but considered the publicity surrounding it as “overblown” (The Province, January 7, 1981). ------------------------- *1) The previous highest rainfall for November was in 1959 with 281.9 mm. December 8-15, 1980 (Rain-on-snow). Discharge (m3/s): Max. daily: December 16: BC/BB: 701; Sall.: 141; max. instant.: December 16: BC/BB: 725; Sall.: 241. (Both Salloompt River values are extreme records for the period 1965-1982). Source: Victoria Times, December 15, 1980; Terrace-Kitimat Daily Herald, December 17, 1980; Comox District Free Press, January 2, 1981; Environment Canada 1988; Environment Canada 1992. Details: Floodwaters wiped out two logging camps near Owikeno Lake, 145 km south of Bella Coola. The water level in the lake rose 6 m. On December 16, Owikeno Lake at Rivers Inlet recorded a maximum instantaneous water level of 5.074 m and an estimated maximum daily water level of 4.870 m (Environment Canada 1988). The Owikeno Indian Reserve was threatened. One family was evacuated. The previous peak flood had occurred in 1968. Around the middle of December, the Oyster River threatened to burst its banks. The dyke sustained damage resulting in minor flooding. Following this flood, which caused an estimated $12,000 damage to the riprap, Comox-Strathcona Regional District (C-SRD) tried to convince the provincial government to fund the replacing of the riprap. On December 18, C-SRD was notified that it was not “within their (the government’s) responsibility to do it.” (See: December 23-27, 1980 event). C-SRD administrator Wayne D’Easum called this flood “a unique situation where it snowed like crazy and all turned to rain.” (Comox District Free Press, January 2, 1981). December 23-27, 1980 (Rain-on-snow and tidal flooding). Discharge (m3/s): Max. daily: December 26: Capil.: 293; Chem. 457 (extreme record); Kok.: 207; Zeb.: 384; December 27: L. Qual.: 162; Nan. C.: 714; Squam.: 2,020; Stamp G.: 319; December 28: Cowich.: 275; max. instant.: December 26: Capil.: 468; Zeb.: 790; December 27: Cowich.: 279; Nan. C.: 958 (extreme record); Squam.: 2,180E; Stamp G.: 327. Source: The Province, December 28, 1980; January 4 and 7, 1981; Victoria Daily Times, December 29 and 31, 1980; The Vancouver Sun, December 27, 29 and 30, 1980; January 3, 6, 13 and 24, 1981; April 7, 1983; Nanaimo Daily Free Press, December 27, 29 and 30, 1980; Times Colonist, December 29, 1980; November 5, 1982; The Nanaimo Times, December 30, 1980; Merritt Herald, December 31, 1980; Comox District Free Press, January 2, 1981; Citizen Shopper, January 8 and 15, 1981; January 14 and 22, 1982; Cowichan News, February 4, 1981; January 3, 4, 9, 14 and 27, 1983; May 7, 1983; October 15, 1983; MacFayden n.d.; VanDine 1985 (p. 65); Environment Canada 1988; Environment Canada 1992; Church 1988 (pp. 216-217); Church and Miles 1987 (pp. 64-67); Watt et al. 1989; Lewis and Moran 1985 (p. A.24); Eisbacher 1983 (p. 31, 38, 42); Melady 1997 (pp. 87-97); Ministry of Environment files, Memo January 22, 1981 P.F. Doyle, File 069-B Inspection January 19, 1981-Flood damage Anderson River and Uztlius Creek and proposed new road on Anderson River; Memo January 12, 1981 P.F. Doyle, File 069-B-Field inspection January 5, 1981-Coldwater River flood, December 26, 1980; Memo January 8, 1981. H. Nesbitt-Porter. Re: Flood damage repairs estimate). Details: Between December 25-27, southwestern British Columbia experienced heavy precipitation and unusually high temperatures. On December 26, a two-day rainstorm and a rise in temperature caused extensive debris floods in the southern Coast Mountains. The event produced a maximum streamflow well in excess of that expected for the storm, to judge from return period criteria for the rainfall (Church 1988). During a storm on December 23-24, a maximum wind of 64 knots/h (118.4 km/h) was recorded (MAST Shiplisting 1946-1983 In: Lewis and Moran 1985). It replaced a high-pressure ridge that had become established around December 17. Winds reaching 67 km/h caused several power outages throughout Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. The 1980 Christmas storm was the culmination of a series of cyclonic disturbances that moved into the area from the southwest after December 20. The southwesterly flow of warm air resulted in record-high temperatures from California to Alaska. On Boxing Day, the Vancouver International Airport recorded a temperature of 15o C, one degree above the record set in 1937. Other daily maximum records were set in Port Hardy, Victoria Airport, Comox, Lytton, Cranbrook, Williams Lake and Prince George. The Victoria Patricia Bay airport recorded 15.5o C breaking a 37-year old record by 5.5 degrees. Abbotsford was the hotspot in the province with 18 o C. Eight other communities broke or set temperature records for Boxing Day. During the event, there was a substantial snowpack. Freezing level records from two upper air stations in southern British Columbia indicate the possibility for snowmelt during the storm. The month of December was unusually wet in the eastern Fraser Valley. At Hope Airport, the total precipitation for December was 441 mm, 152% of the long-term average. Of this, 185 mm fell on December 25-27. During the preceding three days, 35-60 mm of precipitation occurred in the region, mainly as snow. Between December 25-26, Hope recorded 124 mm of rain in two days. At high elevations, a deep snowpack existed (Church and Miles 1987). On December 25, Hope recorded 82.3 mm, bringing its three-day total to 134.8 mm. In Vancouver, the Christmas rain set a new precipitation record for December with a total up to December 27 of 139.7 mm. *1) Two-day rainfall at the Victoria airport totalled 53 mm and about half that amount at Gonzales. In the 24-hour period ending 4 p.m. on December 25, Sooke, Nanaimo, Port Alberni and Comox recorded 62 mm, 50 mm, 65 mm and 45 mm, respectively. On December 26, return periods of daily mean streamflows were in the range of 20-40 years. Instantaneous peakflows generally were somewhat less extreme with the exception of the Chilliwack River, where the 387 m3/s had an indicated 25-year return period. On December 26, the Vedder River recorded a maximum daily water level of 4.709 m (Environment Canada 1988). Storm runoff and snowmelt at higher levels brought about unusually high flows in most streams on Vancouver Island. Extensive erosion and overtopping of riverbanks ensued, causing inundation and subsequent loss or damage for many residents in southwestern British Columbia. In the Hope and Lower Fraser Valley areas, streamflows were uncommonly large and in many cases record flows. It appears that record peak instantaneous flows were recorded on the Coquihalla River, Chilliwack River, Cheakamus River, Lillooet River, Mamquam River, Squamish River, Stawamus River and Silverdale Creek.