For the second time in three days, Vancouver Island has been hit with a fall storm. One weather station recorded 500 millimetres of rain. Dean Stoltz has more.
Most of Vancouver Island was lashed with heavy rains again on Wednesday.
“I was raised here, a few generations and we all have webbed feet,” Joan Rodrigue joked as she took in the stormy conditions at Goose Spit near Comox Wednesday afternoon.
The second rainstorm in three days might be more of an inconvenience for many but it dropped some impressive rain amounts combined with Monday’s storm.
The Effingham weather station east of Kennedy Lake has recorded 500 millimetres of rain since Sunday.
Thousands of people in B.C. were without power on Wednesday as well.
At higher elevations, the rain fell as snow during the morning hours making for a tricky drive up Mount Washington where up to 15 centimetres of snow fell near the top of the mountain.
“We get so much excitement at this time of year this time of year especially in October,” said Mount Washington Alpine Resort spokesperson Sheila Rivers. “It’s really when we start to see our storm cycles happen especially on a good season so this is really positive for us.”
And even better news for skiers and boarders is that they’re keeping an eye on a developing “La Nina” weather pattern that could result in a winter similar to last year when 10 metres of snow fell during the season.
Back in the valley some places experienced minor flooding due to the rain. Crews were reminding residents to keep the catch basins in front of their homes clear of leaves and debris to prevent flooding.
Dean Stoltz
