October is usually Prince Rupert’s rainiest month of the year, but even with a recent downpour of 83 millimetres during a storm on Oct. 23 and 24., last month was drier than normal.
Torrential downpour — heavy rain of five to 10 millimetres per hour — hit the City of Rainbows on the afternoon of Monday, Oct. 23 between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Another round of heavy rain fell that night at 9 p.m. and continued through the next day.
To put that in perspective, Matt MacDonald, a meteorologist for Environment Canada, said that Prince Rupert typically sees 373 millimetres of rain in October. Last month was statistically drier than in the past, at 229 millimetres by Oct. 27.
“So despite that big storm,” MacDonald said, “it’s drier than normal.”
Other areas hit by the storm saw much more rain. Cathedral Point, near Bella Coola, saw 180 millimetres, while Kitimat picked up 140 millimetres and localized flooding. A road in Haida Gwaii was washed out.
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From an Environment Canada weather station in Hecate Strait, MacDonald said the exposed location picked up 107 kilometres per hour winds at noon on Oct 23. The average wind speed in October is 13 kilometres per hour. MacDonald said the recorded winds were sneaking up toward the record-holding winds of Oct. 18, 1964, when they reached 135 kilometres per hour.
“October is definitely your worst month, with the most rain and the most wind,” MacDonald said. “The outlook looks a lot better, but I should warn you there’s some cold air descending in the North Coast.”
Nov. 2 to Nov. 7 is predicted to see a high of four to five degrees during the day, and it will dip down to below freezing overnight.
“This is a good chance to get those winter tires on, finish up fall yard work and get those long johns handy,” MacDonald said.
