Strong winds are forecast for coastal areas of British Columbia this weekend, potentially causing damage and power outages, before another extended spell of rain hits the region.
Environment Canada has issued wind warnings for regions including eastern Vancouver Island, Greater Victoria and parts of Metro Vancouver, with gusts up to 90 km/h expected early Saturday, especially in exposed coastal areas.
“A frontal system will move across the South Coast tonight bring a period of brief, but strong, gusty winds to the region,” the agency said in a warning for coastal parts of Metro Vancouver.
In Haida Gwaii, southeasterly winds up to 90 km/h and gusting up to 110 km/h are expected to usher in the weather system on Friday evening.
“Damage to buildings, such as to roof shingles and windows, may occur,” the wind warning for Haida Gwaii said. “Loose objects may be tossed by the wind and cause injury or damage. High winds may toss loose objects or cause tree branches to break.”
More rain on the way
The winds will introduce another spell of wet weather for the B.C. coast, following last weekend’s atmospheric river weather system that caused localized flooding and triggered mudslides and washouts, killing at least three people.
An estimated 350 millimetres of rain fell on North Vancouver over three days last weekend.
But Environment Canada meteorologist Ken Dosanjh said the rain in the forecast this weekend will be “nothing” compared with the last storm and will come in a series of “pulses.”
He said North Vancouver could see up to 75 millimetres of rain in the coming days, but it will fall over multiple days and at a lower intensity than it did last weekend.
“With the atmospheric river, we saw precipitation rates on the order of 10, even upwards of 20 millimetres an hour, which is extremely high,” he told The Canadian Press on Thursday.
“In this case, we’re noticing precipitation rates kind of fall around four to eight millimetres per hour, maybe reaching 10 [in] extreme cases.”
Evacuation order lifted
The District of North Vancouver has lifted an vacuation order for six properties in the Deep Cove area that had been in place since Sunday morning.
The district said crews had finished remediating hazards caused by last weekend’s heavy rain, including restoring creek flow and drainage in the area.
Mayor Mike Little said crews had been working throughout the week to ensure drainage basins are clear for more expected rain.
“We’ve been out scooping up the rock and debris that came down the creeks and rivers out onto the streets all across the district,” he said Thursday.
Little said he’s confident the district’s systems will be able to handle the rain in the forecast, though he’s concerned that certain areas are still “vulnerable to a moderate amount of rainfall” after the recent drenching.
He said the Woodlands area of North Vancouver has seen rocks falling into creeks since last weekend, and the channels need to be cleared out.
Little, whose basement was also flooded, said some homes in the district are “seriously damaged,” and it will take residents time to recover.