Environment Canada says a heavy rainstorm is expected to hit southern British Columbia on Monday.
The agency says the storm will bring heavy rain and snow to higher elevations and increase the risk of flooding and landslides.
But it says the storm is expected to be weaker than the atmospheric river of November 2021, which caused massive flooding in the Fraser Valley, landslides that disrupted key highway and rail links, and overflowing levees that threatened communities and forced evacuations.
A special weather statement from Environment Canada says elevated seawater levels near Metro Vancouver, the southern Gulf Islands and the Saanich Peninsula are expected to result in high astronomical tides.
It said minor coastal flooding was possible along exposed shorelines and elevated water levels at high tide were expected to continue into Tuesday.
CityNews meteorologist Michael Kuss says the heaviest rain will fall in the Lower Mainland around 3 p.m. until around midnight.
“Expect a widespread 30 to 50 millimeters of rainfall,” Kuss said, adding that it could be over 70 millimeters on the north coast.
He explains that around 30 to 60 millimeters of rain has already fallen in the region since Thursday, “so the rivers and streams are already swollen.”
“Add in today’s rainfall and melting snowpack, and our waterways will be nearly depleted.”
On Sunday afternoon, Environment Canada issued an additional wind warning for the north and central coast of British Columbia. It said winds could reach speeds of 90 kilometers per hour in exposed coastal locations on Monday morning before easing in the afternoon.
Kuss points out that Monday’s front won’t be a major wind event for the South Coast, but from the North Coast to northern Vancouver Island he expects wind gusts around 100 km/h.
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