West winds near 100 km/h in Alberta and flooding/slide risk in B.C.

More warmth to melt the snow and ice. Jodi Hughes has a look at the five-day forecast from the Sky Watch Weather Centre.

A period of persistent and intense rain continues along the southern B.C. coast as an atmospheric river tracks across the Pacific basin into Canada.

Both orange and yellow-level rainfall warnings have been issued in southwestern British Columbia with over 200 millimetres of rain expected to fall in some areas over a couple of days.

Localized flooding, landslides and heightened avalanche risks are all concerns as the ground is unable to absorb that much moisture over such a short period of time.

In its alert for the Central Coast region, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) explained the risks as, “Prolonged heavy rain on snow combined with mountain snow melt will lead to very enhanced responses in river systems and potential for flooding. Extensive water pooling on roads and washouts may occur. Enhanced risk of landslides due to saturation of landscapes.”

Yellow-level winter storm warnings were issued for areas east of the rainfall warnings where that moisture is expected to encounter colder air and heavy rain gets sandwiched between periods of snow (e.g. in higher elevations like Whistler of the Sea to Sky Highway).

A special weather statement was issued for areas in southeastern B.C. over concern about how new precipitation and warmer temperatures will impact the region, “The mix of snowmelt and rainfall may lead to localized flooding in valleys and low-lying areas.”

Yellow-level wind warnings were issued along the entire foothill region and the southern portion of Alberta with ECCC explaining, “Strong west winds with gusts up to 110 km/h will continue today. Winds will weaken slightly this evening, however gusts up to 90 km/h are expected to continue through tonight.”

High-profile vehicles will be vulnerable to the wind and loose objects will be blown around, especially in the southwestern corner of the province.

In Calgary, wind speeds are expected to reach 30 to 50 km/h for most of the day Tuesday.

Temperatures will remain elevated for the next few days with highs between 15 C and 17 C in Calgary. Overnight lows will be both above freezing and warmer than the average daytime high until Friday, which will also help with melting.

Snow will continue to melt quickly across the region and slushy and wet surfaces will last until the surface is able to absorb the moisture.

Storm drains could become clogged within the city as debris is picked up in the flowing water and localized flooding and pools of water will be more noticeable as the week goes on.