B.C. coast to get first soaking of the season as atmospheric river rolls in

Provincial officials are urging British Columbians to prepare for the first serious brush with stormy weather this week, marking the end of an unusually warm and dry early fall.

In a media release Tuesday, the Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Management BC pointed to the season’s first atmospheric river, due to hit the north coast on Wednesday and Lower Mainland on Thursday.

“This type of seasonal storm is typical for the region and is not unusual for this time of year,” the release states.

“Narrow bands of heavy precipitation such as this are common in British Columbia and many occur every year, most commonly in the fall and early winter.”

Senior Global BC meteorologist Kristi Gordon said the North and Central Coast regions could see upwards of 80 mm of rain and winds gusting up to 100 km/h.

The South Coast should also expect strong winds and potentially heavier rainfall than what it experienced on Tuesday, she said.

No special weather statements or weather warnings have yet been issued in connection with the system.

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While atmospheric rivers are a normal weather phenomenon, they have drawn increased scrutiny from B.C. emergency officials and meteorologists in the wake of the catastrophic floods and mudslides triggered by a series of such systems last November.

Gordon said this system is expected to move continuously down the coast, and not stall in place — reducing the amount of time any one region will be hit with heavy rain.

However, minor flooding, pooling water and reduced visibility on the roads are possible, she added.

In its release, the province said officials with the River Forecast Centre were closely monitoring the situation, but did not expect a repeat of the 2021 extreme event.

Despite the forecast, EMBC says it is a good idea to develop a household emergency plan and emergency kits, and connecting with neighbours and learn about the local government emergency response plan for their area.

For the coming season, the agency says it is now prepared to use the Alert Ready broadcast system, and is ready to quickly deploy up to four million sandbags to local governments, along with tiger dams and other flood mitigation tools.