It's pouring. Again. The rainfall stats from the School-Based Weather Station Network show how much rain has fallen since midnight. This is why they call the west coast the wet coast!
The next couple days will be wet, windy and mild on Vancouver Island as subtropical moisture aims at the Pacific Northwest and the South Coast of B.C. Here's a look at where all this rain is coming from today.
An atmospheric river is aimed right at our part of the world. Think of it as a conveyor belt of water, or a hose in the air above. Essentially it’s a long, narrow band of precipitable water in the atmosphere.
While the column of water aloft is aimed mainly at Washington State (meaning our neighbours to the south will endure the heaviest rain with this system) Vancouver Island is close enough to get plenty of rain, heavy at times, throughout the day. In the next 48 hours, all island communities will be soaked.
If you’re heading to the mainland in the next couple of days, be aware that a rainfall warning is in effect for Howe Sound, the North Shore, Metro Vancouver, and the Fraser Valley as up to 150 millimetres of rain is possible by Thursday before the rain finally tapers off. Flooding in low-lying areas is possible.
For parts of the south island, Wednesday will be fairly dry, cloudy with the occasional sunny break. Watch for scattered showers. Areas north of Duncan though, aren’t so lucky, especially along the west coast where rain will continue to be heavy at times.
With so much rain this week, the BC River Forecast Centre has issued a High Streamflow Advisory for Vancouver Island waterways.
Warming trend
The system driving the subtropical moisture our way is coming in from the southwest, bringing milder air towards the coast. Temperatures are as cold as they're going to be in the next 24 hours! As the warm air mass takes hold, temperatures will rise throughout the day and night, bucking the typical diurnal trend.
Not the best news if you're hoping for snow in the mountains on Vancouver Island. Freezing levels will rise to 3000 metres in the next 24 hours; more than one kilometer higher than the peak of Mount Washington!
Hopefully the rain won't wash away all the snow...
Cool and blustery; stormy weekend
The cold front associated with the mild system arrives late Wednesday night/Thursday morning. It will lower freezing levels and return temperatures to seasonal average Thursday.
Winds will increase as rain eases mid-day and there will be some sunny breaks for parts of the island.
After a relative break on Friday, more rainy, windy weather returns for the weekend.
