Keep your umbrella handy today.
Environment Canada has issued a rainfall warning for Metro Vancouver with up to 90 mm of rainfall expected through Tuesday morning.
The federal weather forecaster states that an intense frontal system will move across the B.C. Coast today and Tuesday.
Morning showers are expected to intensify to heavy rain this evening over Howe Sound, Metro Vancouver, west and central Fraser Valley.
Total rainfall accumulation of 60 to 90 mm is expected through Tuesday morning.
The rainfall warning is in effect for:
- Metro Vancouver - central including the City of Vancouver Burnaby and New Westminster
- Metro Vancouver - North Shore including West Vancouver and North Vancouver
- Metro Vancouver - northeast including Coquitlam and Maple Ridge
- Metro Vancouver - southeast including Surrey and Langley
The heavy rain is expected to ease by midday Tuesday.
Heavy downpours can cause flash floods and water pooling on roads. If visibility is reduced while driving, turn on your lights and maintain a safe following distance.
La Niña Winter
Environment Canada calls for a colder, snowier winter this year, but December is expected to be the "oddball" month of the frosty season.
The Canadian Government defines La Niña as "the appearance of cooler than normal waters in the eastern and central Pacific Ocean"—A.K.A. the waters off B.C.'s coast. Sometimes also referred to as "a cold event", the climate pattern is generally considered to be the opposite of El Niño, and is usually great news for skiers and snowboarders hoping for a season full of champagne powder.
While La Niña was identified back in August, it didn't have a significant bearing on local weather at that time. But mid to late December onward, B.C. will likely see colder than normal temperatures, with a much higher level of certainty than Environment Canada will normally give for seasonal projections, Environment Canada Meteorologist Armel Castellan explains. After that, the pattern is expected to continue into spring.
Read more here.
--With a file from Megan Lalonde.
