Environment Canada is continuing to caution residents in specific areas of Vancouver Island about the latest ‘atmospheric river’ weather system, which has brought heavy rains since Monday.
The weather agency says that a prolonged period of heavy rain is forecasted to continue through Tuesday and last into Wednesday.
The atmospheric river will dump heavy rain on the Central Coast, North Vancouver Island and West Vancouver Island, according to Environment Canada — with the agency specifically outlining the areas north of Tofino including Zeballos and Tahsis.
Experts with the agency suggest that rainfall will total between 100 to 200mm during the prolonged period.
The rain began hitting the Central Coast and Northern Vancouver Island starting on Monday night and has spread to West Vancouver Island as of early Tuesday morning.
Strong southerly winds over exposed coastal sections are also anticipated to strike the Island by Tuesday morning as well.
“Heavy downpours can cause water pooling on roads. Localized flooding in low-lying areas is possible. Rising freezing levels and snowmelt may contribute to increased runoff,” reads a statement from Environment Canada.
This atmospheric river marks the third storm in less than a week to hit the west coast of Vancouver Island.
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