'Bomb cyclone' brings severe wind warnings to Vancouver Island
Most likely you weren’t tracking Typhoon Namtheun while it was churning in the western Pacific Ocean throughout the second week of October.
After all, that was happening hundreds of kilometres away and didn’t impact our days. It’s sure going to impact us now.
The remnants of this typhoon have been lingering off the coast and waiting to make a move. That move is being made and will deliver quite the punch for many parts of the West Coast as it develops into a powerful low-pressure system.
This rapidly intensifying low is a bomb cyclone.
You may be asking, what’s that? A bomb cyclone is a low-pressure system that drops its pressure 24 millibars or more in 24 hours or less. This particular system could double that pressure drop, which makes it a powerful and intense storm system.
Conditions will ramp up starting early Thursday in the overnight period.
Wind warnings have been issued by Environment and Climate Change Canada running through the day Thursday. North Vancouver Island and the southern region of the Central Coast should prepare for southeast winds steady in the 80-90 km/h range and gusting up to 110 km/h.
The west coast of the island, including Tofino, Long Beach and Ucluelet, will deal with steady southeast winds at 70-80 km/h and gusting to 100 km/h.
On the east coast, from Courtenay to Campbell River, southeast winds of 70 km/h are expected Thursday afternoon and overnight.
Obviously with the intense wind, a high surf is expected off Vancouver Island.
At the moment no high-surf warnings have been issued but that may change. The most intense winds are expected midday Thursday and will ease Thursday evening. High winds can toss loose objects and debris as well as topple large trees and power lines.
Along with all the wind will come rain.
If you were expecting a sunny and dry end to October, get ready to be disappointed. This system will be the lead for a steady parade of moisture over the next seven to 10 days.
The biggest rainfall totals can be expected on the island's west coast, inland and northeast regions. The potential for rainfall in excess of 100 millimetres is high with a consistent range of 60-90 millimetres expected from Thursday through Sunday.
So if you’re looking to lay blame somewhere you could shake your fist at Typhoon Namtheun or you could take a different approach and live by the words of Russian-American novelist and poet Vladimir Nabokov, “Do not be angry with the rain, it simply does not know how to fall upwards.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.