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'Atmospheric river' puts Metro Vancouver on flood watch

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Metro Vancouver, the North Shore mountains, Fraser Valley and Sunshine Coast are under a flood watch as of 3:30 p.m. Friday.

The advisory comes as heavy rain pours on the southwestern part of the province.

“A moderate atmospheric river event has arrived on the southern coast of British Columbia today,” reads a statement from the B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development.

Snow recently fell on many of the region’s mountains, but temperatures are expected to rise over the weekend, causing that snow to melt and drain down into nearby rivers, explains the ministry.

“Rivers are expected to rise rapidly on Friday and into Saturday in response to rainfall, with peak flows expected on Saturday,” the statement reads.

“Larger rivers, including the Squamish River, will likely experience peak flows on Sunday.

On Friday morning, Environment Canada issued a number of rainfall warnings for the Lower Mainland for the weekend. Seventy-five to 150 millimetres of rain is expected.

Howe Sound and the North Shore will be hit the hardest, the warnings said.

The downpours are expected to continue into Sunday. 

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