Lower Mainland residents can expect a wet, windy weekend, with a “weakening” atmospheric river expected to drench the province’s south coast.
While some rain started Wednesday afternoon, that system isn’t expected to be as “potent” for B.C.’s south coast as the next, which is expected starting overnight Thursday into Friday morning, Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist Bobby Sekhon said Wednesday (Oct. 22).
“We’re expecting a weakening atmospheric river coming through and also, we’re going to see some stronger winds (starting on) Thursday, and then especially Thursday night into Friday morning,” he said. “There’s a couple of different elements going into this upcoming forecast. It starts with the winds arriving on on Thursday (today) and it’ll be pretty breezy … then the winds will be picking up overnight into the early morning on Friday. On Friday we’ll also see some moderate to heavy rainfall around Metro Vancouver.”
Over the lower-lying areas of Metro Vancouver, 20 to 40 millimetres of rain is expected, but areas of the North Shore and Coquitlam could get more, he noted.
“That’s where you could see potentially more than 50 mm … so we’ll be keeping an eye on those amounts … there may be weather alerts issued.”
Weather alerts are issued when more than 50 mm of rain falls in a 24-hour period, Sekhon explained.
“This is going to be a pretty strong fall storm compared to what we’ve seen so far this season,” he said. “We still have leaves on the trees — at least, most of the trees do. This is the time of the year that we want to make sure the storm drains are clear to avoid any urban flooding, or water pooling on the roads and that that kind of thing.”
He cautioned motorists as well — especially during Friday morning’s commute on Oct. 24 — to be mindful of areas where poor drainage might cause pooling water.
Strong winds are also expected, said Sekhon.
“Any weakened tree limb or trees, we could see some tree tree damage from that. So, it’s always a good idea to keep your emergency kit ready and handy, with flashlights, batteries, food, warm clothes, and water, just to name a few things. So when we’re having the morning commute at the same time as (these) weather systems coming through, that can that can prove particularly challenging. That’s why we we just want to keep an eye on the forecast, and keep eye (out for) any alerts that might be issued.”