Heads up, flood warnings have been issued for North and West Vancouver Island.
Flood Watch issued for North & West Vancouver Island. More details : https://t.co/nUfFtSFMLt #BCStorm #BCFlood
— Emergency Info BC (@EmergencyInfoBC) January 3, 2020
Emergency Info BC sent out a press release stating that the River Forecast Centre is upgrading the High Streamflow Advisory to a Flood Watch for:
North Vancouver Island including Port Alice, the Zeballos River, Pugh Creek, San Josef River, Simpson Creek and surrounding areas; and
West Vancouver Island including Tofino, the Sarita River, Carnation Creek and surrounding areas.
According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, “a strong Pacific storm has moved to the BC coast yesterday afternoon and persists today. A total rainfall amount of 100 to 150 mm is expected for Central Coast, and North and West Vancouver Island today.”
RELATED: Storm warnings for Vancouver Island
The release also stated that river systems have been “responding to this storm last night and some of the river levels are now very high. Based on the forecast amount of rainfall and the current river conditions, the current hydrologic modelling indicates that the river systems in these regions are expected to continue to rise or to rise again. Some of the rivers are expected to peak at flows between the 5- and 10-year return periods tonight or on Saturday morning. Floods over the 20-year return period levels could also be possible for some of the smaller stream systems.”
Emergency Info BC is recommending the public “stay clear of the fast-flowing rivers and potentially unstable riverbanks during the high-river-level period.”
The River Forecast Centre will continue to monitor the conditions and provide updates as conditions warrant.
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