Another disruptive weather bomb takes aim at B.C. Friday
Strong winds, heavy rain, and mountain snow will push into B.C. on Friday as another bomb cyclone develops off the coast
It’s the second punch from an atmospheric setup that won’t give British Columbia a break. A second storm developing off the West Coast could reach bomb cyclone criteria on Friday.
While it’ll be weaker than the storm we saw on Tuesday and Wednesday, this will still be a formidable low-pressure system that’ll bring the risk for strong wind gusts, heavy rainfall, and more mountain snows.
Ensure you’re prepared for potential power and travel disruptions for some areas on Friday and Saturday as a result of the winds and rain in the forecast. Stay up to date with the latest weather warnings in your area.
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A weaker storm, but still impactful
The remnants of our mid-week bomb cyclone continues to weaken as it retreats offshore. That system will help slingshot our next low-pressure system toward the coast for the end of the week.
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This developing storm will pull some moisture off an atmospheric river aimed at the northwestern United States, streaming some of that moisture into B.C.’s South Coast by Friday.
While this storm will be weaker than the one we saw earlier this week, it will still undergo rapid intensification and it should just meet the criteria to qualify as a bomb cyclone.
Friday’s storm will track much closer to shore than the one we saw earlier in the week, so widespread impacts are likely. Forecasters expect the storm to drift back out into the Pacific by Sunday, just as its predecessor did.
High winds, heavy precipitation on the way
Winds are the main hazard with this new system. Southeasterly wind gusts will funnel through the Strait of Georgia, reaching 50-70 km/h on Friday afternoon in Vancouver with gusts of 60-80 km/h expected for Victoria.
A heightened risk for power outages exists across western Vancouver Island, where gusts could reach 80-100 km/h. We probably won’t see as many customers without power this time around, though; since this is the fourth significant wind event in as many weeks, much of the weaker foliage has been removed from the trees.
Ferry delays are possible once again with this system, but likely not as many.
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One major difference with this system is that the precipitation will push farther inland, spreading through all of southern B.C. this time around. Forecasters expect more modest rainfall totals from this system, with 15-30 mm on tap for the Lower Mainland, and 5-10 mm on the way for Victoria.
Predicted snowfall amounts for the mountains have decreased a bit due to less organization in the moisture as it pushes ashore.
Freezing levels should hold steady around 1000-1200 m, likely bringing 5-30 cm of snow to the province’s highway passes. Another 50 cm of snow is likely for Whistler, putting the total to more than one metre this week. Some flurries are expected down to the valley bottom in the Okanagan.
Stay with The Weather Network for all the latest on conditions across B.C.
