All eyes are on the wet and windy forecast across British Columbia this weekend, especially after a major atmospheric river brought extreme rainfall totals to portions of Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland just last weekend.
Police confirmed at least two deaths as a result of the heavy rain, significant flooding, and mudslides.
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Now, another round of rain is headed into B.C. starting Friday, as two systems merge off the coast and bring additional soggy conditions. This time around however, isn’t expected to be as impactful, with less rainfall accumulation forecast.
Winds on the other hand will be stronger, which could result in coastal power outages at times. Southern coastal sections of the Lower Mainland could see gusts up to 70 km/h Saturday.
Friday night through Sunday
After a mostly fair and dry week across B.C., the wet pattern will return for the weekend, continuing well into next week, as well. These back-to-back systems will bring additional rain, but no potent atmospheric river events are expected.
On Friday, two low pressure systems will merge off the coast, bringing widespread rain to coastal sections of the province. This rain will stay persistent through much of the weekend.
Between 75-125 mm of rain will fall across the north and central coast, with 50-100 mm forecast for the west side of Vancouver Island by Sunday. A swath of 20-50 mm is likely for the Lower Mainland, while Victoria can expect just 5-10 mm thanks to the rain shadow effect once again.
Localized flooding will be a concern in areas that see the heaviest rain totals.
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The major difference with this system this time around however, will be the stronger winds associated.
Wind gusts of 80-100 km/h are forecast along the central and north coast, including Haida Gwaii, through Saturday.
In the south, gusts of 60-80 km/h are forecast in the Juan de Fuca and Gulf Islands, and southern Victoria. Southern coastal sections of the Lower Mainland, including White Rock and Delta, can expect to see winds gusting between 50-70 km/h.
The winds could result in power outages, and travel impacts, including ferry delays or cancellations.
Be sure to check back for the latest weather updates across B.C.