A big storm is brewing in the Pacific Ocean, and it could bring what’s called a bomb cyclone to the coast of Vancouver Island.
That’s a storm where the pressure drops rapidly over a short time, resulting in lots of rain and high winds. It’s expected to hit Tuesday afternoon and last into Wednesday, and could bring up to 100 centimeters of snow at higher elevations.
Winds will build Tuesday night along the Strait of Georgia and along the entire coastline. Forecasters predict they will hit up to 100 kilometres per hour, possibly higher.
Around 100 millimetres of rain is expected on the west coast and up to 50 in other regions. With king tides on Tuesday and Wednesday, some regions including Campbell River and Victoria may experience flooding during the storm event.
According to the Weather Network, winds are forecasted to hit their peak on Wednesday morning, hitting different speeds along the coastline.
- Campbell River: 70-80 km/h (higher by the water)
- Comox: 80-90 km/h
- Tofino: 100 km/h+
- Nanaimo: 70 km/h
A medium-range forecast map from NOAA shows the storm will be at its peak on Wednesday, impacting all of Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland, and northern Washington State.
