While skies may be sunny in Vancouver on Tuesday, Sept. 24, that's not going to last too long.
Vancouver's forecast is looking damp over the next 24 hours, says Environment Canada meteorologist Matt Loney.
"We've got a frontal system that's currently offshore; that's moving in, in the overnight hours," he tells V.I.A.
That system should bring 5 mm of rain overnight before dumping another 10 or 15 mm over the city Wednesday morning and afternoon, he adds. Areas in the south, like Delta or Richmond, will see closer to 5 or 10 mm, while North Vancouver could see upwards of 25 mm.
Weatherhood's forecast is predicting a little more rain over those 24 hours, with areas in the western part of Vancouver, like UBC, getting 19 mm and areas in the east, like Killarney, currently forecast to get 27 mm.
Loney says some models even suggest up to 30 mm for the rainiest neighbourhoods in North Vancouver, with the worst of it coming in the afternoon. Weatherhood's forecasting up to 34 mm for Capilano University and 31 mm in Port Coquitlam.
By the late afternoon, things should be slowing down.
"It should end around rush hour tomorrow afternoon," says Loney.
That said, the entire frontal system shouldn't be too intense.
"It's a fairly pedestrian system in terms of intensity," says Loney. "The rainfall intensities aren't too bad, and winds are expected to be pretty tame with this system."
It will cool things down, though. While the overnight low on Tuesday night is expected to be around 15 C, the low on Wednesday night is expected to drop to 9 C.
Thursday will be a dryer day, but light showers are still expected. By the evening, pieces of an intense storm hitting B.C.'s north coast are expected to arrive in Metro Vancouver.
That is expected to bring another 25 to 30 mm of rain to the region overnight.
"It looks like a little bit more robust system," says Loney.
More intense rainfall is expected Thursday, but over a shorter period of time.
By Friday, a new, though weak, ridge of high pressure should be building over the Lower Mainland, meaning clearer skies.
"The weekend looks decent and somewhat dry," says Loney.
However, sunny skies no longer mean summer warmth. And clear skies at night mean a drop in temperature, with a low of 7 C predicted each night this weekend.
"We are beginning that inevitable slide towards winter," says Loney. "Skies clear out at night, and temps tend to drop more substantially."
