Vancouver Island under flood watch as up to 200 mm of rain expected
Environment Canada has issued new rainfall warnings for parts of Vancouver Island as another atmospheric river is expected to dump up to 200 millimetres of precipitation over the coming days.
Northern and western Vancouver Island will be hit especially hard, particularly the region from Tofino north to Tahsis and Zeballos.
The rain is expected to become heavy Monday evening over the North Island, then spread to the West Island early Tuesday morning, according to the weather service.
The heavy rains will persist through Wednesday. Strong southerly winds are also likely, especially over exposed coastal regions Tuesday.
"Heavy downpours can cause water pooling on roads," Environment Canada warned. "Localized flooding in low-lying areas is possible. Rising freezing levels and snowmelt may contribute to increased runoff."
FLOOD WATCHES FOR ALL REGIONS
The warning comes as the B.C. River Forecast Centre issued flood watches for all regions of Vancouver Island.
A flood watch means "river levels are rising and will approach or may exceed bankfull," according to the forecast centre, which adds that "flooding of areas adjacent to affected rivers may occur."
The centre said Monday that the "third in a series of atmospheric rivers" means river levels on the island "are expected to see rapid rises on Tuesday and through Wednesday."
Residents are advised to avoid fast-flowing rivers and potentially unstable riverbanks.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
What happens after we die? Most Canadians say an afterlife does exist, survey shows
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.