Brace yourselves, Vancouver Island: a powerful low-pressure system will get the week off to a windy start. And it doesn’t get any better from there.
Wind warnings have been issued for the west and south coasts of Vancouver Island, with Environment Canada urging residents to prepare for gusts of up to 100 kilometres an hour beginning Monday.
The powerful winds are expected to be the result of a low-pressure system moving from the Gulf of Alaska into central B.C., which will then lead to westerly winds over B.C.’s South Coast Monday night.
In Greater Victoria, westerly winds of 70 km/h gusting to 100 are expected near the Strait of Juan De Fuca, while western Vancouver Island will experience northwesterly winds of 80 km/h gusting to 100.
Both regions will see winds ease by Tuesday morning as the winds move further inland. But after that, get ready for cold.
Environment Canada is forecasting cold arctic outflow air for the region settling in on Wednesday through Friday.
“Normals for this period are usually highs of nine degrees and lows near plus two,” said Ken Dosanjh, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.
But this week, Greater Victoria is more likely to see highs around 3C and lows to plunge as low as -6 overnight Thursday— a full eight degrees below seasonal for the Victoria International Airport weather station.
Not only that, but there’s a chance of late-February flurries over the course of the week for the South Island, while straight-up snow is in the forecast further north.
Greater Victoria weather forecast: Week of Feb. 20
It’ll get even colder up north, with Port Hardy dropping to a low of -9C Thursday night, according to Environment Canada, an astonishing 11 degrees below normal.
But first there’s wind, and people on the west and south coasts of the Island should be aware of possible dangers such as power outages and fallen tree branches, Environment Canada said in its warning. Events with outdoor tents and awnings should be closely monitored in order to prevent any damage caused by the gusty winds.
Environment Canada is asking residents to continue to monitor alerts and forecasts and to report any severe weather to [email protected] or tweet using the hashtag #BCStorm.
⚠️ WINTER STORM WARNING ⚠️
Hazardous winter conditions are expected on the #Coquihalla Highway from #Hope to #Merritt tonight and Monday with 25 to 35 cm #snowfall accumulation forecast by Tuesday morning ❄️ @CHEK_News @CHEK_media #BCwx #bcstorm #yyjwx #weather pic.twitter.com/GUA590GysM— Tess van Straaten (@tessvanstraaten) February 20, 2023
Jeff Lawrence
