What a storm!

If you’re reading this, your power is back on after last night’s wind storm. Winds associated with the intense low pressure system blew down trees, powerlines and even tossed a trampoline onto a major thoroughfare in Saanich. No kidding.

Here’s a list of the peak winds in km/h

  • Comox Airport SSE 80
  • Victoria Airport SSE 59
  • Port Hardy ESE 80
  • Port Alberni SE 48
  • Race Rocks ESE 111
  • Sartine Island SSE 131
  • Solander Island SSE 119
  • Victoria Gonzales SE 74
  • UVic SE 60
  • Saturna Island S 101

Source: Environment Canada

This storm picked up plenty of moisture as it tracked towards the South Coast of BC from the southwest. Rain was intense at times and enough to cause flooding in many island communities.

Rainfall totals between noon March 9th and 8am March 10th

  • Courtenay Elementary 66mm
  • Discovery Elementary 83mm
  • Edward Milne Community School 45mm
  • Gulf Islands Secondary 48mm
  • McGirr Elementary 85mm
  • Mountain View Elementary 100mm
  • Pleasant Valley Elementary 115mm
  • Randerson Ridge Elementary 85mm
  • Vancouver Island University 70mm

Source: School Based Weather Network, UVic

As if that wasn’t enough, higher elevations saw snow! Mount Washington reports 33 cm of new snow overnight; 38 cm in the 24 hours lead up to 6am today. Snow also fell in Cumberland!

This video was taken around supper time last night by CTV News viewer Janet Barnes. The temperature in the Cumberland area at 6:19pm was between 3°C and 4°C which is just on the edge of being cold enough to prevent precipitation from fully melting. So for a little while there was a blanket of wet snow. Cumberland Junior Secondary School, where the weather sensor is located, is at an elevation of 179 meters above sea level; another factor that lead to temperatures cooling.

cumberland temperature

A heat map of Vancouver Island shows colder temperatures in the Cumberland area for the evening of March 9, 2016. (IslandWeather.ca)

Now to today’s weather, which is perfect for rainbows! Now that the storm has passed, Vancouver Island will enjoy sunshine this afternoon. Lingering isolated showers are expected. It will still be breezy at times, although all wind warnings for the island have now ended. Depending on where you are, you may see some showers for Friday. Saturday another system arrives, but it’s not likely to be as intense as last night’s. Unsettled weather sticks around until the middle of next week.