Richmond sits below the tide line
Much of Richmond was reclaimed from tidal flats, which is why the city is ringed by dikes and crossed by drainage ditches rather than natural slopes that shed water on their own. Streets near the West Dyke Trail and the older farmhouses further inland can hold standing water longer than higher ground after a heavy rain.
Homes on these older lots often rely on a sump pump in the crawl space, and it is worth checking that pump is working a few days before a move rather than discovering a wet crawl space on loading day. Newer construction on raised foundations handles a downpour with less drama, but we still keep an eye on drainage grates along No. 3 Road and the smaller side streets when timing a truck's arrival.
Crossing to Vancouver when the roads are slick
The Oak Street Bridge and the Knight Street Bridge both narrow at points where three lanes of traffic funnel down, and a hard rain slows that traffic further than it would on a dry afternoon. We build extra time into any Richmond to Vancouver move that crosses either one during a storm, rather than assuming the usual drive time still applies.
Marpole's older character homes, close to the Richmond side of the bridge, often have narrow lanes and steep front steps that get slippery fast once the rain sets in, so floor runners and extra care on the stairs matter more on those jobs than on a flat driveway further out.
Delta and Surrey after a heavy runoff
North Delta's hillside streets drain quickly toward the flatter land near the highway, and after a hard rain the gutters along some of those streets run like small creeks for an hour or two. We check which end of a driveway sits lower before parking a loaded truck there overnight.
Surrey's underpasses along King George Boulevard and the Scott Road corridor can pool water fast during a heavy downpour, and a route that looked fine on the map sometimes needs a detour once the crew is actually on the road. Newer subdivisions handle this better than older streets, since the storm drains were sized for the current rainfall rather than added on decades later.
Burnaby's slopes after a storm
Parts of Burnaby near Kingsway and the streets running down from the SkyTrain line sit on a noticeable grade, and a driveway that is easy to back a truck into on a dry day can turn into a careful, slow manoeuvre once it is wet. We ask about driveway slope specifically for these jobs rather than assuming a flat approach.
Storm drains near mature trees clog with leaves through the fall, and a blocked drain at the end of a driveway can leave a puddle right where the ramp needs to go down. A quick check and a rake, done the day before, saves everyone from working around it on the morning of the move.
What changes on our end for a wet booking
For any move booked between October and February, we check the forecast about two days out and, if rain looks likely, bring extra floor runners, tarps for open doorways, and a plan for where boxes stage if there is no covered porch or carport at either address. A driveway is not a staging area once it starts to rain in earnest.
None of this changes the price or the timeline for a job, since coastal rain is simply part of moving here for most of the year. It does mean the crew shows up with the gear already loaded rather than figuring it out on the truck once the first drops hit the windshield.