Over the weekend B.C. was hit with a strong atmospheric river, which led to significant floods in areas throughout Vancouver, the Lower Mainland as a whole, and parts of Vancouver Island.
Videos of Metro Vancouver show significant flooding in the streets, so much so that some people took their kayaks to the roads, and fish were found swimming in them.
The Weather Network has called the storm “the most significant rainfall event in B.C. since November 2021,” when catastrophic floods hit the province.
TWN reported that Effingham forestry station on Vancouver Island recorded over 300 mm of rain over the weekend, West Vancouver had 205 mm of rainfall, Vancouver Harbour totalled 173 mm and Vancouver Airport got 119 mm — all from Friday to Sunday at noon.
On Saturday, October 19, alone West Vancouver got a total of 135 mm of rainfall, and Vancouver Harbour got 116 mm.
“That marks the wettest day since Sept. 18, 2004 (91.6 mm), and the second-wettest October day on record (after Oct. 16, 2003, with 85 mm),” TWN said.
Videos on social media show how widespread the flooding was, in areas around Metro Vancouver.
Although the weather event was significant and had a devastating impact for many, TWN said that the Category 4 atmospheric river, while rare,”still pales in comparison to the Category 5 event in November 2021,” which “pushed well into the Interior and up the Sea-to-Sky corridor.”
TWN did add though that “this atmospheric river may have had a more significant impact on localized areas within Metro Vancouver.”
