VANCOUVER – Storm season is living up to its name as British Columbia’s west coast braces for another round of wind and rain.
Meteorologists are warning that some areas could be dealing with more than 250 millimetres of rain by Thursday.
That’s led to orange-level rainfall warnings from Environment Canada for parts of Vancouver Island, Howe Sound and the Sea to Sky corridor.
The latest storm comes as communities across the province are still cleaning up after the weekend.
Howling wind and rain knocked out power to more than 400,000 BC Hydro customers, sparking evacuations and leaving at least one person dead.
Flood watches are in place for a large chunk of southwestern B.C., including most of Vancouver Island, Howe Sound, the Sea to Sky region, parts of Metro Vancouver and the northern Fraser Valley.
The heaviest rainfall is expected Tuesday and Wednesday. Environment Canada says more than 250 millimetres of rain could fall on some parts of Vancouver Island, while Howe Sound and the Sea to Sky corridor could see more than 160 millimetres. More than 120 millimetres is forecast to fall in Metro Vancouver near the mountains.
Raging rivers and flooded highways
It was an unusually dry fall on the west coast, but concern over low reservoirs and drought has quickly turned to warnings to stay away from raging rivers and potentially flooded highways.
On Vancouver Island, the Puntledge River is running high enough to prompt a warning from BC Hydro, which is urging the public to stay away from the waterway.
The reservoir upstream, which had been near a historic low, has risen two metres since Friday, BC Hydro said, requiring the release of additional water from the dam.
The quick transition from a relatively dry stretch to heavy rain is also raising concerns about falling trees.
BC Hydro spokesperson Whitney Deane said the ground has had difficulty absorbing the sudden influx of water, making trees more susceptible to coming down.
That’s what multiple communities dealt with during last weekend’s storm, when powerful winds brought down trees across the province.
In Prince George, where wind speeds approached 100km/h, Mayor Garth Frizzell described the damage as unlike anything he could recall seeing in the city.
The winds were even stronger along the coast. Environment Canada recorded gusts of 116 km/h on Herbert Island off northern Vancouver Island on Sunday, while Victoria’s airport recorded gusts of 96 km/h.
In Surrey, a woman was killed Saturday after a tree fell on her car on Highway 10 near 148th Street.
A second death has also been linked to the severe weather. A 78-year-old woman in Vancouver died in hospital Saturday after being hit by a vehicle while crossing Dunbar Street in the heavy rain.
About 30 properties in the village of Zeballos on Vancouver Island’s northwest coast were placed under an evacuation order following a landslide.
Once the latest system blows through, forecasters say there won’t be much of a breather for B.C.’s west coast before the next series of storms.
There is another one possible on Thursday into Friday, as well as another that Environment Canada says may move in on the weekend.
With files from The Canadian Press
