Windstorm with heavy rain—and snow! — on the way to BC south coast late Tuesday

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The system will sweep over Vancouver Island and also hit Whistler, the Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley through late Wednesday

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May 16, 2022 • 19 minutes ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation

A low pressure system headed for Vancouver Island and the BC south coast will bring strong winds and heavy rains, Environment Canada says.
A low pressure system headed for Vancouver Island and the BC south coast will bring strong winds and heavy rains, Environment Canada says. Photo by Arlen Redekop /PNG

A powerful windstorm is on its way to the BC south coast.

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement calling for strong, gusty southeasterly winds and heavy rain to hit Vancouver Island Tuesday night.

The “unseasonably strong low pressure system” will be accompanied by a freezing level of between 1,100 and 1,500 meters, which means the precipitation will likely fall as heavy snow over higher terrain on western Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast, Howe Sound and the North Shore Mountains.

The system will sweep over the island and also hit Whistler, the Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley through late Wednesday.

“As the cold front passes, winds will shift to strong and gusty westerlies or southwesterlies Wednesday morning,” affecting western Vancouver Island, possibly Qualicum, Victoria, the Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley. “Strong southerlies will also funnel up the Sea to Sky.”

The weather agency statement noted “some uncertainty” about how the storm system will track through the region, meaning it’s hard to predict which areas will see the strongest winds.

As more information comes in, Environment Canada said full-scale weather warnings might still be issued.

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