B.C.’s South Coast is set to experience the first significant rainfall of the season.
Global BC meteorologist Kristi Gordon said the atmospheric river is likely to arrive on Friday night and last until Sunday morning. However, its full strength and impact are not yet determined.
Rainfall amounts could range from 60 to 120 mm across the Lower Mainland and even more across parts of Vancouver Island, Gordon explained.
The atmospheric river’s projected strength, which is the amount of moisture and duration, could be between one and three across the Lower Mainland, Gordon added.
One means primarily beneficial while three means both beneficial and hazardous.
The projected strength of the atmospheric river across parts of Vancouver Island could reach a level four, which means mostly hazardous but also beneficial.
Flood warnings and high streamflow advisories could be issued before the weekend.
“Right now that’s really looking like around Vancouver Island, the west side, but also poking into the South Coast, areas around Vancouver and north up through the Central Coast,” Dave Campbell with the BC River Forecast Centre said.
“Some of the fringe areas around the north and to the south of that might also see some heavy rain as well.”
This atmospheric river, even if it does peak at 120 mm of rain, is still much less than the almost 300 mm that fell in the Upper Fraser Valley in 2021.