Those who have friends or family living on Vancouver Island and coastal regions of mainland British Columbia may want to check in with them this week as a massive atmospheric river event is expected to drop hundreds of millimeters of rain.
Affected areas of BC could see anywhere between 50mm and 400mm of rain as part of the weather system. The Weather Network predicts some areas could see 100 consecutive hours of rainfall with no break. Environment Canada meteorologists are slightly contradicting the Weather Network saying upwards of 250mm of rain will fall, but both agree that flooding and road closures could become an issue.
The hardest hit areas include Tofino, Port Renfrew, North Vancouver Island, Central coast, Bella Coola, and Squamish areas. Victoria is on the edge of the system, however they still could see upwards of 50mm of rain while parts of Vancouver could see 120mm of rain by the time it’s all said and done.
This atmospheric river event is sometimes referred to as a “pineapple express” because it originates in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii. As the system develops and moves, it creates huge amounts of moisture, which eventually hits southwest BC. Not only has the system sparked warnings about flooding, but meteorologists and other experts are saying there is a heightened risk of avalanches and landslides.
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