Rainfall warning for Metro Vancouver as atmospheric river rolls through

Welcome back to the West Coast. The first atmospheric river of the season is rolling through southern British Columbia, bringing rainfall warnings for Metro Vancouver and its surrounds.

Wednesday’s morning commute involves a lot of water on the roads, and with that, comes the risk of hydroplaning.

CityNews’ Meteorologist Michael Kuss explains Tuesday was the wettest day in Vancouver since mid-January, and the second wettest day of 2023 so far.

“Twenty millimetres of precipitation yesterday at the airport,” Kuss explained. “Over 30 up onto the North Shore. Now today, the record rainfall for YVR is 35.8 millimeters. I wouldn’t be shocked if we caught that even at the airport, with potentially double that amount of rain through the day today up against the mountains.”

Environment and Climate Change Canada says the heaviest amounts of rain are expected over the northern parts of Metro Vancouver — the North Shore, Coquitlam, Maple Ridge, etc.

“The first atmospheric river of the season is funneling precipitation right at the South Coast and it’s fairly long-lasting, that’s why the warning is in place,” Kuss explained.

“This isn’t just the heaviest precipitation we’ve had since last spring, it’s the longest sustained precipitation that we’ve had for about six months. You have to go back a while to get into a band of rain that is going to be around for almost 48 hours.

“We won’t be out of this wet weather until it looks like probably mid-day on Thursday,” Kuss said.

ECCC is warning of possible flash flooding and water pooling on roads during this rain event. It also warns that localized flooding in low-lying areas is possible.