in the fall of 2003, a pineapple express system delivered more rain than ever in recorded history to the sea to sky region, and was compounded by the freezing line in the mountains being above the elevation of the many icefields in the region, causing immense amounts of meltwater on creeks coming out of them. highway and rail bridges at rutherford creek were washed out by the torrent coming down that watercourse from the pemberton icecap, wrecking two vehicles and taking two lives. meteorologists said that a storm such as this one happens only once a century. 200-350 millimetres of rain fell on the village of pemberton, while squamish received , 15% of the town's annual total. in addition to the rutherford creek bridges, another was washed out in the cheakamus canyon area of highway 99, with the resort municipality of whistler being cut off from the outside world during this storm.