36 hours of rain incoming as atmospheric river targets B.C.
An atmospheric river will bring both benefits and hazards to B.C. over the next couple of days
An active pattern is locked in place across British Columbia for the first full weekend of spring, promising plentiful rain, mountain snow, and some potential hazards expected to last through the middle of the week.
Significant moisture will fuel more than 100 mm of rain for some areas, along with the potential for 50+ cm of alpine snow in spots.
Steady rain will develop early Sunday and continue without any substantial breaks until Monday evening, bringing the area a solid 36-hour rainfall event.
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Rain begins early Sunday, continues into Monday
A cold front sinking down the Pacific coast will stall over southern B.C., providing a path for an atmospheric river to rush over coastal communities.
We’ll see a solid batch of rain push into southwestern B.C. by early Sunday morning, continuing pretty much uninterrupted into Monday before tapering off into Monday evening.
Port Renfrew and western Vancouver Island are on track to see 100-150 mm of rain from this event, while portions of the Lower Mainland—including parts of Metro Vancouver—could see around 100 mm of rain before it tapers off Monday.
This moisture-packed atmospheric river isn’t particularly extreme, and it won’t stall over a specific part of the coast long enough to trigger a major flooding event. Some pooling and ponding is still possible during and after periods of heavy rainfall.
Heavy alpine snow before freezing levels rise
Precipitation will fall in the form of snow above 1000-1200 m, where 50+ cm of snow is in the forecast through Monday.
While these areas will see heavy snowfall, the focus for alpine regions is actually the warmup arriving after the snow ends. Freezing levels will climb to around 2800 m by Wednesday. We’ll see an increased avalanche danger with the heavy, wet snow and rising freezing levels.
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The first significant alpine snowmelt of the season, along with the potential for up to 100 mm of rainfall, will have rivers running high throughout southwestern B.C. We’ll see the risk lower by Thursday as freezing levels drop again.
Beware the potential for fast-moving streams and rivers with the increased runoff over the next couple of days.
First 20-degree day on the horizon?
The warmup arriving by the middle of the week could bring B.C. its first 20-degree day of the season.
Kamloops notched the province’s warmest temperature of the year when readings there climbed up to 17.4°C. It’s possible that communities like Kamloops, Hope, and Abbotsford could make it up to 20°C on Wednesday as warm air infiltrates the region.
Vancouver’s warmest temperature so far this year was a daytime high of 14.9°C. Wednesday could exceed that mark, with a comfortable high of 19°C in the forecast.
Stay with The Weather Network for all the latest on conditions across B.C.