Be ready for heavy rain this weekend, as an atmospheric river will make its way to BC.
Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a special weather statement warning that an atmospheric river will bring prolonged periods of heavy rain to the South Coast, affecting several communities on Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast.
Meteorologist Matt Loney says an atmospheric river is a mechanism where the atmosphere transports large amounts of water vapour in a narrow band.
“If it’s accompanied by upward motion in the form of a front or terrain, it tends to fall as rainfall in bands and typically can have moderate to heavy rainfall over narrow areas of land,” said Loney.
According to the statement, they forecast rainfall totals of 40 to 70 millimeters in general with coastal mountains to see up to 100 millimeters.
For local amounts, West Vancouver Island and Inland Vancouver Island could get up to 200 millimeters.
Along with the rain, they say that strong winds can gust up to 80 kilometers per hour on the Island and Coast on Saturday. The rain and wind are set to ease by Sunday afternoon.
Hazards to watch for include water pooling on roads, swollen rivers and creeks, increased risk of washouts, rockfall, and landslides, and possible power outages.
To stay safe, Loney recommends putting on headlights while driving, and to clean out storm drains to drain the water on roads.
The heavy rain will arrive on Friday at noon, running through to Sunday.
