A potentially potent windstorm could hit Metro Vancouver next week.
Environment Canada meteorologist Trevor Smith first advises locals to brace for a rainstorm on Saturday, Nov. 16, as a storm is expected to bring up to 50 mm of precipitation to the Lower Mainland. Places at higher elevations, such as Simon Fraser University, could see some wet snow, while the North Shore mountains could see significant snowfall.
The rain and snow are expected to taper off Sunday, although a chance of showers persists heading into next week.
However, Smith says a second storm is expected to roll in on Tuesday, and it will look much different than Saturday's event.
"What we are seeing is more of a wind event with a lot of thermal gradients, so a weak low that develops well to the southwest and hits colder air from south of Alaska," he tells V.I.A.
The central pressure of the storm system will drop over 24 millibars in 24 hours, meaning it will rapidly intensify as it moves across the ocean. Rapid cyclogenesis is often referred to as a "marine bomb," and often produces significant rainfall, too.
Metro Vancouver weather forecast includes strong wind
Smith says the confidence is pretty good that the storm will impact the region on Tuesday, but heavy rainfall isn't expected. The storm will take place offshore and curl northward, with Vancouver Island experiencing the brunt of the wind.
"Vancouver Island will likely have wind warning and it will definitely be windy in the Lower Mainland," he notes, adding that because of the track of the low-pressure system, there will be some rainfall associated with the system but not enough to warrant a rainfall warning. Amounts of 20 to 40 mm of rain are expected locally in Metro Vancouver.
"The strongest plume of rain will occur far south of B.C. in California," he adds. "But we could see more snow on the North Shore on Tuesday, which is good news for the ski season."
When asked if La Niña influences storms in November, the meteorologist says it is unlikely. Instead, typhoons in the Pacific are curving back and influencing the West Coast at this time of year.
"La Niña is currently in neutral conditions and the forecast shows it will be a fairly weak signal for this year's season," he notes, adding that typhoon season wanes in November and the end of these major storms are "recaptured into the westerly flow" locally.
Stay up-to-date with hyperlocal forecasts across 50 neighbourhoods in the Lower Mainland with V.I.A.'s Weatherhood.
