After atmospheric river, when will more rain hit B.C. coast?

As communities in the Fraser Valley and the Okanagan start to clean up from the atmospheric river that struck the region on Wednesday and Thursday, many are now turning to what the weather will bring over the weekend to those already flooded communities.

There has been minimal precipitation on Friday, but senior Global BC meteorologist Kristi Gordon says a few more showers are possible in the evening with another five to 10 mm expected in the Fraser Valley and one to two mm in Metro Vancouver.

Saturday will see clouds and light rain or drizzle, Gordon says, and even if there is some rain, it would be negligible.

On Saturday night through Sunday, two small fronts will move across the South Coast and there will be substantial rain, Gordon added, but it will be on and off so it will be dry with some bouts of heavy rain.

The Fraser Valley and Metro Vancouver could receive between 20 to 30 mm.

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The greatest impact from this system will be across the outer coast of Vancouver Island, the Central Coast and Howe Sound, Gordon added.

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It will be Sunday night and into Monday that a potent storm is expected to hit the B.C. coast.

“Although this system has the same intense subtropical (warm) moisture as an atmospheric river, this isn’t a classic atmospheric river,” Gordon said.

“Instead of a fire hose over one region, this system will impact the entire B.C. coast. The heaviest rain will start on the North Coast, Central Coast and outer coast of Vancouver Island Sunday afternoon. That intense rain will begin to slide southeast into the Lower Mainland and south Vancouver Island Sunday evening, but the heaviest rain will happen Sunday night through Monday morning.”

Gordon says that the Fraser Valley could receive between 30 to 50 mm, Metro Vancouver could get 50 to 70 mm, Howe Sound could get 60 to 80 mm and outer Vancouver Island will receive the most with 120 mm.