British Columbia braces for more severe weather after recent storms caused damage and power outages across the region
Vancouver: After a rough weekend with power outages and a tragic landslide, British Columbia is gearing up for more heavy rain and snow this week.
This time, the winds won’t be as wild, but they’ll still be breezy. Travel could get tricky with heavy snow expected in the mountain passes and parts of the Okanagan.
Another weather system is rolling in late Thursday through Friday, and it looks like a few more will follow as we head into the Christmas holidays. The milder weather could mean more rain for the south coast ski areas, but it might cool down again as December wraps up.
Tuesday kicks off dry for the Lower Mainland, but Vancouver Island will be the first to feel the rain from a moisture-rich Pacific low.
By the afternoon, the west side of Vancouver Island will see heavy rain, and the mainland will start to catch up later in the day.
We could see rainfall rates hit 5-10 mm/h, which might lead to localized flooding and small landslides, especially in areas still recovering from the last storm.
Overall, we’re looking at 30-50 mm of rain, with some spots possibly getting up to 100 mm by Wednesday.
Environment and Climate Change Canada warns that heavy downpours can cause flash floods and water pooling on roads. If you’re driving and visibility drops, turn on your lights and keep a safe distance from other vehicles.
Wind gusts will be milder this time, around 40-60 km/h along Vancouver Island’s west coast and 30-50 km/h for the Lower Mainland.
In the Okanagan, places like Kelowna and Kamloops are expecting snowfall, with 5-15 cm before warmer temperatures mix things up overnight.
This could make travel a bit dicey as the snow piles up.
The highway passes are also in for some snow, with up to 20 cm possible by Wednesday.
There’s even a chance of freezing rain as the milder weather moves in and the precipitation shifts to rain.
Environment and Climate Change Canada advises everyone to prepare for hazardous travel conditions and to allow extra time to get where you’re going.
It looks like there won’t be much of a break for folks in the province, as another system is expected to hit by the end of the week, with a couple more on the way through the holidays.
Stay tuned for more updates on the weather across B.C.!
