300+ mm of rain possible as atmospheric rivers wash into B.C.
Some areas will see excessive rainfall totals in the coming days
A series of atmospheric rivers will push into the West Coast in the coming days, threatening hefty rainfall totals for some areas.
Portions of Vancouver Island could see more than 300 mm of rain through early next week, making this the wettest place on Earth in the near future.
Watch the potential for localized flooding in the hardest-hit areas. Gusty winds could lead to ferry delays, power outages, and high surf along the coast.
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A soggy Friday on the way for coastal B.C.
Several waves of rich moisture will sweep into coastal British Columbia into this weekend and early next week.
Rainfall that moved from the Central Coast to northern Vancouver Island overnight Thursday will continue moving south into Friday. We’ll see heavy rainfall rates spread into southern Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland through the day.
Portions of the Central Coast and western Vancouver Island will see 75-100 mm of rain from this first batch of moisture. Additionally, wind gusts of 60-80 km/h may lead to ferry delays.
Stronger wave arrives this weekend
We’ll see a deepening system move in and bring foul weather to the region on Saturday and Sunday.
Heavy rainfall and the strongest wind gusts are forecast on Saturday evening.
The Lower Mainland will see 20-30+ mm of rain, with an additional 30-50+ mm expected on western Vancouver Island. The Strait of Georgia, including Victoria, will see the risk for 70-80 km/h gusts, while winds should gust around 50-60 km/h in Vancouver.
This system will also bring heavy alpine snow to the region. Freezing levels will surge to around 2600 m on Saturday, falling to around 1500 m behind the cold front on Sunday.
Looking ahead, forecasters are closely watching another strong atmospheric river expected to affect the region into next workweek.
Higher impacts are possible since the ground will be saturated from this weekend’s coming rainfall. Strong winds and significant precipitation, both rain and snow, are expected with this upcoming event.
Stay with The Weather Network for all the latest on conditions across British Columbia.