Environment Canada warns heavy rains approaching Vancouver Island
Environment Canada upgraded its storm warnings for Vancouver Island as heavy rains are expected to hit the south coast of British Columbia over the weekend.
The weather service says the rains will begin early Saturday morning and intensify throughout the day before easing Sunday morning.
Between 100 and 130 millimetres of rain is expected to fall on areas of the West Island, according to meteorologists, while eastern Vancouver Island will see between 50 and 70 millimetres.
"Strong warming will accompany this system causing snow levels to rise well above the mountaintops on Saturday," Environment Canada said in a statement Friday morning. "Snowmelt will contribute to run off, increasing the risk of flooding and possibly impacting vulnerable landscapes and infrastructure."
The rainstorm is just the latest to hit southwestern B.C., where crews are still cleaning up from severe floods and mudslides last week that left six people dead or missing.
Another larger storm is expected to arrive on Tuesday.
B.C. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says people living in areas prone to flooding should be on alert. “The time to prepare is now,” Farnworth told a news conference Thursday.
Farnworth urged people to have food, water, blankets and flashlights ready in case of rising waters in their communities, as a second storm in a three-storm series is to arrive Saturday.
The warning came as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was preparing to visit the flood-damaged city of Abbotsford before meeting late Friday afternoon with Premier John Horgan in Victoria.
With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Breast cancer screening should start at age 40, Canadian Cancer Society says
The Canadian Cancer Society says all provinces and territories should lower the starting age for breast cancer screening to 40.
DEVELOPING Live updates as Stormy Daniels testifies at Trump hush money trial
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Canadian-Israeli man shot dead in Egypt; claim links killing to Gaza
A Canadian man 'of Jewish Israeli descent' has been shot dead in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in a suspected criminal case, a security source said, while a previously unknown militant group said it carried out the attack in reaction to the war in Gaza.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Boeing 737 catches fire and skids off the runway at a Senegal airport, injuring 10 people
A Boeing 737-300 plane carrying 85 people skidded off a runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegal's capital, injuring 10 people, according to the transport minister, an airline safety group and footage from a passenger that showed the aircraft on fire.