Atmospheric river brings record temperatures to parts of B.C.

It’s not just wet — the atmospheric river that drenched much of B.C.’s South Coast brought record-warm temperatures Monday.

“Dozens of new records were set around the province,” CityNews meteorologist Michael Kuss explained.

“With temperatures soaring yesterday, it got up to 14.3 degrees at YVR, breaking the old record of 13.3 degrees. There was also a new record in West Vancouver where it was over 17 degrees, and the national hotspot yesterday was Abbotsford at 18.2 degrees.”

Kuss says that shattered the old Jan. 29 daily record for Abbotsford of 15.6 degrees, set in 1960.

“It wasn’t just the record highs yesterday, the overnight lows were record-setting as well — the highest low temperatures we’ve ever had for the date.

“Temperatures for the overnight didn’t even dip out of the double digits for a lot of spots across the Lower Mainland,” said Kuss.

“And it’s not over, we are going to be pushing records again today, tomorrow, and potentially into Thursday before we finally get back to seasonal temperatures.”

Kuss says to expect highs in the low teens in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley through Thursday, with the overnight lows remaining near records, as well.

The record temperatures come as a flood warning has been issued for the Squamish River and its tributaries and the avalanche risk is high in the alpine around Squamish, Whistler, and Pemberton.

The BC River Forecast Centre said that as of 5 p.m. Monday, the Squamish River was between a two- and five-year high at Brackendale, while the Cheakamus River was at risk of spilling its banks into Tuesday.

The remainder of B.C.’s South Coast and Vancouver Island remain under a flood watch Tuesday.

Avalanche Canada says the upper snowpack in the Sea-to-Sky alpine has become saturated and weakened by all the rain, pushing the avalanche risk to high.

Forecasters warn to “avoid high-consequence avalanche terrain while above-freezing temperatures continue.”

Locally, the North Shore mountains remain at “moderate” risk for avalanche in the backcountry, while the risk is “considerable” in the alpine in the mountains surrounding the Fraser Valley, from Golden Ears Provincial Park east.

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–With files from Pippa Norman