TORONTO – While B.C. may have a reputation for producing some potent marijuana, that’s not the kind of Pineapple Express the province is expecting this weekend.
Think less smoke, and much more water.
Sometimes in the winter months, a large jet stream forms across the mid-Pacific, according to NASA. This jet stream carries a flow of moisture from the waters around Hawaii to any location along North America’s Pacific coast. As a result, those locations will see heavy precipitation.
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“Some of the more persistent Pineapple Express rain events can last for several days and are associated with warm rains that can eat into major mountain snow packs, and cause massive flooding,” said Global Toronto Chief Meteorologist Anthony Farnell.
“The term Pineapple Express is a little misleading because there aren’t actually any pineapples in Hawaii,” he added. “These systems used to be called Hawaiian storms before the 1960s.”
Farnell notes the worst Pineapple Express event in recent memory was when all major rivers around Vancouver flooded, causing mudslides that closed roads across southern B.C. and the U.S. northwest in November 2006.
In this case, Environment Canada estimates up to 150 millimetres of rain could fall on Tofino and other parts of western Vancouver Island by Saturday morning, when the pineapple express finally passes by.
Sixty to 100 millimetres of rain is expected on the Sunshine Coast and Howe Sound while Metro Vancouver could see between 40 and 80 millimetres, with the heaviest dumps along the North Shore mountains.
With files from The Canadian Press
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