A major change in the weather for the South Coast and most of B.C. is on the way.
The high pressure system that has trapped wildfire smoke over Southern B.C. will finally shift east thanks to a pair of incoming storms. The storms will merge two jet streams into a single river of sub-tropical moisture that will bathe the South Coast with the first significant rainfall in months.
Environment Canada predicts there will be 80 to 120 mm of rain over the South Coast between Friday night and Monday morning. Twenty to 30 mm of rain is expected in the interior during the same period.
Whitehorse, the North Coast, the Cariboo and Central Interior, the Columbia and Kootenay regions and the Thompson and Okangan regions will all see rain this weekend.
In Metro Vancouver, residents are already seeing the rain fall this morning and that will continue through the weekend. Periods of rain will hang around the coast into early next week with temperatures dropping from well-above seasonal to below seasonal. Temperatures on Friday and Saturday are expected to reach only 19 degrees in the rain with windy conditions in some areas.
Due to the drought conditions over these regions, the soil has a reduced capacity to absorb water. Heavy rainfall thus increases the risk of flash flooding and given the recent prolonged dry period, road surfaces may become slippery resulting in poor driving conditions.
To mitigate the risk of flash flooding, make sure drain spouts and sewer covers are free of debris, so water can freely drain. During heavy rains, avoid roadway underpasses, drainage ditches, low lying areas and water collection areas as they can unexpectedly flood or overflow.
The cooler temperatures and rain will last into Monday and next week.
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