For anyone planning on travelling in Southern or Central B.C. over the Christmas break, it is advised to have a backup plan just in case of stormy weather.
Environment Canada says regions could be hit by yet another powerful storm on Monday night and into Christmas Eve morning.
Armel Castellan, warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada, told Global News on Thursday that it is going to be a very active atmosphere as British Columbians get ready to celebrate Christmas.
“We’ve got what we call in meteorological jargon a big trough offshore,” he said.
“So… the Northeast Pacific, the Gulf of Alaska, and it’s bringing in a southwesterly flow to the coast. So lots of rain, some snow at elevation… And that’s going to be the theme on and off for the next week or so.”
Castellan said they are not expecting devastation from the storm but they are expecting a lot of moisture along with windy conditions.
“You know, the Tuesday event is, or even Sunday, will actually be fairly windy as well on the coast,” he said.
Castellan added that it is uncertain at this time if the storm will reach the Lower Mainland and affect BC Ferries’ sailings or cause power outages.
“We do have some question marks still on Tuesday with what looks to be a bomb cyclone,” he said.
“Again, as we saw in November, but again, most of the energy is going to be focused closer to the Central Coast. So it may have an impact on some of the northern ferry routes.”
Castellan added that at the moment, it looks like the Lower Mainland and Southern Vancouver Island will not see the worst of the storm.
A bomb cyclone is when a storm develops or intensifies very rapidly.
Castellan said at this time it looks like the Central Coast may be the most affected.
Global BC meteorologist Mark Madryga said this forecast may change as there are still many days before Christmas.
BC Ferries told Global News it is too early to determine if any sailings will be affected by weather conditions next week.
“We are aware of a potential system coming in over the next week, in particular early next week that could impact sailings,” Ceilidh Marlow, a senior communications adviser with BC Ferries said.
“It’s too early right now to confirm any service disruptions but customers should be prepared for the possibility of cancellations, of delays next week if weather conditions make it unsafe to sail.”
Castellan said weather could impact drivers on the highways and even flight schedules.
“Essentially we’re dealing with such an active pattern right across most of B.C. and into the Prairies, in fact,” he said
“And that just means that there’s a lot of types of weather that you might encounter.”