Flooding that has forced people from their homes in several communities is easing across most of the province as water levels on many rivers stabilized overnight, the River Forecast Centre says.

The Bulkley River is flowing at record levels near Smithers, but should peak Saturday, the centre said Friday. The Skeena and and upper Fraser are also peaking, and the lower Fraser is expected to peak Sunday night.

A home near Terrace in northwestern B.C. is besieged by the rising river.
(CBC)

The lower Fraser River through the Fraser Valley and Greater Vancouver is expected to peak at about 6.5 metres at the Mission gauge on Sunday night, provincial officials said. 

The river will remain below the levels recorded during the floods of 1972 — not high enough to top the dikes along the Fraser, but some low-lying unprotected areas might get flooded.

More than 130 B.C. families, most of them in the Smithers and Terrace areas of northwestern B.C., have been ordered out of their homes in the past week, as the Skeena and Bulkley rivers rose dramatically.
 
A state of emergency and evacuation orders have also been issued for the town of Golden in the Kootenays, where the Columbia River has reached its highest level in 10 years, forcing 16 families from their homes.

Liard River warning

There's also a flood warning for the Liard River in the northeast corner of the province.

The River Forecast Centre says there isn't enough snowpack left to sustain major flooding in the northwest and on the South Coast beyond next week. However, heavy rain could change that prediction.

Officials say it will be at least a week for water to recede enough for evacuees to return to their homes.

More than 1,100 homes remain on evacuation alert across B.C., with flood warnings still in place for several rivers.

Elsewhere, fishermen heading for the North Coast for the gillnetter opening on June 12 are being told by the coast guard there is no fuel in Prince Rupert, because Highway 16 remains closed by flooding.