Atmospheric river on the way for Metro Vancouver, Fraser Valley
Posted January 11, 2022 6:25 am.
Last Updated January 11, 2022 6:58 am.
Another bout of heavy rain is headed for B.C.’s South Coast as the latest atmospheric river moves in our direction.
Rainfall warnings have been issued for Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, with some areas told to prepare for potential flooding.
The heaviest of rain will begin falling on Tuesday and last into Wednesday afternoon. The system is expected to bring up to 100 millimetres of rain, which will combine with melting snow.
“It’s not going to be that wet through the morning or even early afternoon,” said CityNews Meteorologist Michael Kuss. “Later in the day, a different story. Late afternoon into the evening, the rain comes in and it comes in hard — atmospheric river on the way.
Rainfall Warnings for the Lower Mainland. Tuesday/Wednesday rainfall totals reaching 100 mm from West Van to Pitt Meadows. #BCStorm #atmriver @CityNewsVAN pic.twitter.com/ECfdAQRTXK
— Michael Kuss (@Kusswx) January 11, 2022
“We get two pulses. The first one comes late day today. A small break between systems heading into tomorrow, but it’s pretty steady from around 4 p.m. all the way until about at least 4 p.m. tomorrow afternoon — that’s a long stretch of wet weather.”
The heaviest rain is expected near the mountains.
Environment Canada notes the atmospheric river is “embedded with a series of systems.”
Meanwhile, the River Forecast Centre has issued a high streamflow advisory for much of the region, saying a “significant weather pattern change will occur this week” and that will cause rapid rises in creeks and rivers, especially at low and mid-elevation watersheds on the coast.
“The upcoming temperatures are not forecast to be as warm as the atmospheric river events in November. It’s likely the upcoming storm systems will add to the very well-developed snowpack at the higher elevations,” the RFC said.
Related article: Heavy rain, flood risk in Lower Mainland prompts advisories
The forecast rain comes a week after Metro Vancouver saw a dump of snow and freezing temperatures.
In November, a catastrophic atmospheric river swept across B.C., bringing flood-triggering rains and devastating communities — including Abbotsford and the Sumas Prairie area.
There has been no indication that this coming system will be as severe as the series of atmospheric rivers that hit late last year.
