Series of powerful storms hitting the South Coast

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – It’s time to batten down the hatches. Environment Canada says the first in a series of powerful storms is expected to hit the BC coast late tonight bringing heavy rains and strong winds. A second storm is expected early Friday while a third will make landfall later on Saturday.

A rainfall warning has been issued. Light rain will begin this evening and then it will become heavy overnight with rainfall rates of 5 mm to 10 mm per hour likely between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m.

Folks around these parts are used to the rain, but we’re in for a lot of it. Total rainfall accumulations from these storms may exceed 200 mm for West and Inland areas of Vancouver Island. Inner coastal regions may exceed 100 mm with even higher amounts near the mountains. The rain will ease or stop later tomorrow morning with total amounts from the first storm ranging up to 60 mm along the North Shore.

Strong winds will also accompany these storms and at times may exceed 80 km/h over exposed coastal areas. “There are pieces of uncertainty right now like where exactly are we going to get the heaviest rain? There are three major storms that are coming through so what is the gap between each of those? We’re certainly seeing that there is the potential for fairly high flows, but just what we actually get for rain is going to be a bit uncertain until we get a little bit into the weekend,” explains Dave Campbell with the River Forecast Centre.

Rising water level hot spots include the Howe Sound, Squamish, Sea to Sky corridor and through parts of Chilliwack. Environment Canada says that it looks like each storm will become more intense. Details concerning the precise storm track is expected to become clearer as time progresses and warnings are likely to be issued for multiple regions throughout the next few days.

The District of North Vancouver says it has made extra investments to prevent landslides, while the City of Surrey is pruning trees to prevent damage by high winds.

In preparation of these storms, many cities across the Lower Mainland are asking people to do their part. You’re encouraged to clear any leaves and debris near catch basins and sewer drains to reduce the risk of flooding in homes, business and public areas. Leaves can be added to your green bin.

BC Ferries is warning people to give themselves extra time to get to the terminals because the weather could affect sailings and BC Hydro is getting crews ready for the storms as well. “We are watching the weather. We will look at whether we need to deploy crews in advance to some of the harder to hit areas, for example, the Sunshine Coast because we are anticipating the storm will hit the coast the hardest,” says the organization’s Simi Heer.

She adds crews will work as fast as they can to get power restored should yours go out, but reminds to you be prepared with a flashlight and a charged cell phone just in case it takes a while.

Tips to prevent your home from flooding

• Seal cracks or openings in walls, floors, windows and foundations, and seal all window wells
• Clear eavestroughs and downspouts of leaves and other debris that prevent proper drainage
• Ensure the grading around your home slopes away from the foundation wall to help drain water away from your home (without negatively affecting neighbouring properties)
• Ensure that your plumbing and drainage systems are in good working condition. Homeowners are responsible for the plumbing from the property line to inside the home