Heavy rain and winds are returning to Vancouver this week after a long period without much of either.
A system moving into the south coast Sunday evening will bring up to 40 mm of rain and winds gusting to 50 km/m to parts of Vancouver and the metro region Environment Canada meteorologist Yimei Li tells V.I.A.
Along with the storm system, there could be thundershowers.
"Because there's a chance of thunderstorms for tomorrow afternoon, that could cause heavier amounts of rain in isolated areas," she adds.
While the storm won't be particularly strong, she notes that it could still cause some issues for the region. Due to the drought-like conditions and how early in the fall season the storm is, there's a concern about large falling branches.
Since it's the first wind event of the season after a relatively calm summer, trees currently have a lot of leaves. Because of this, they'll be heavier and more likely to catch rain and wind. On top of that, the drought over the summer may have weekend their strength, resulting in more falling branches than a similar storm in January or March.
While the wind is likely to only gust to 50 km/h in Metro Vancouver, areas closer to the coast and Straight of Georgia may see higher winds.
Along with the wind, there'll be a significant but not a huge amount of rain this week. The majority will fall as part of the initial system that'll arrive Sunday night and leave Tuesday early morning, but showers and periods of rain could remain throughout the week. Wednesday there should be a small break, but a weak system is expected on Thursday.
"It'll be pretty wet for one day but nothing too extraordinary," says Li.
Normally in September Vancouver could see 51 mm of rain at the airport and more than 73 mm at the harbour; this upcoming week could see that fall over five days. Li notes that often September sees heavier rain at the end of the month, as the end of summer at the beginning of the month is usually dry.
However, she adds that does mean Vancouver is entering the rainy season.
The current Weatherhood forecast shows Vancouver neighbourhoods have a 99 per cent chance of precipitation the first few days this week. By Thursday it'll drop to a 91 to 83 per cent chance, further dropping to 31 per cent by Saturday.
The River Forecast Centre has issued a High Streamflow Advisory for Vancouver Island & the South Coast including Metro #Vancouver. The public is advised to stay clear of these fast-flowing rivers & potentially unstable riverbanks. More info: https://t.co/7YeiASzcOw #BCFlood #yvr pic.twitter.com/xJ8LUoBX7N
— Emergency Info BC (@EmergencyInfoBC) September 22, 2023
