Another 'atmospheric river' is on the way to B.C.'s South Coast with up to 150 mm of rain possible

Vancouver -

Environment Canada has issued yet another special weather statement for Metro Vancouver and the Sunshine Coast.

Heavy rain is expected this weekend in the Lower Mainland including Metro Vancouver, Lower Fraser Valley, Howe Sound and southern sections of Sunshine Coast.

“A series of moisture-laden systems associated with an atmospheric river from the Pacific will begin arriving Saturday evening and bring heavy rain to the South Coast,” reads a statement from Environment Canada.

Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Coquitlam, Maple Ridge, Surrey, Langley, Richmond and Delta are expected to be hit starting Saturday night.

On the Sunshine Coast, Gibsons to Earls Cove will likely see the most rain.

High precipitation is also forecast for the North Shore including West and North Vancouver.

Environment Canada is predicting anywhere from 75 to 150 millimetres of rain through to Monday morning.

Those in the region are being urged to monitor for alerts and high streamflow advisories.

Additionally, the freezing level is also expected to lift on local mountains.

“Heavy rain in combination with the melting snow can result in high stream levels and local flooding,” Environment Canada's statement says.

Temperatures in Vancouver are expected to stay fairly moderate over the weekend, with highs not going up past 11 C and lows getting no lower than 6 C.

Heading into next week, however, the temperatures are predicted to get slightly cooler. Overnight lows could dip as far as 3 C. Tuesday might see a brief break in the rain with a mix of sun and cloud, but showers are expected to return for Wednesday and Thursday.

SNOW ADVISORY

Other weather statements in southern B.C. call for heavy snow. An advisory for Interior highways – including the Coquihalla, Okanagan Connector, Highway 3 and parts of the Trans Canada Highway – warns drivers to expect as much as 20 centimetres of snow.

"As of now, there is still uncertainty with the timing and the total amount of snow that is expected for these highways, but the current model guidance highlights a period of heavy snow beginning Saturday evening," Environment Canada's weather advisory says.

The South Coast has been hit particularly hard so far this fall with multiple advisories about atmospheric rivers, bomb cyclones and even a rare tornado warning.

On Monday, tens of thousands of people in the Lower Mainland were in the dark as high winds triggered mass power outages.