B.C.'s year of extreme weather a sign of things to come, expert says
As B.C. braces for a third atmospheric river in a week, one expert says these weather events could become the norm.
Dr. Rachel White, an associate professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of British Columbia says as the temperature of our climate increases, so does the likelihood of more devastating natural disasters.
“Climate change is obviously playing a role here, as we warm up the atmosphere and the ocean, we will see more moisture in the atmosphere,” White says.
According to Environment Canada, between 50 to 100 millimetres of rain is predicted to fall Tuesday and into Wednesday, with winds gusting up to 60 km/h also expected.
The trio of atmospheric rivers comes just two weeks after the major storm that triggered the devastating floods and mudslides across the province's southern and interior regions.
“By moving each atmospheric river a little bit stronger, we are making these types of flooding events more likely,” White says.
“These really intense precipitation events are predicted to get stronger and more intense.”
White says there’s also a clear connection between the summer heat dome, the devastating wildfire season, and fatal mudslides earlier this month.
“There’s research showing that with the damage to the vegetation and impacts to the soil, essentially made the environment more vulnerable to landslides."
"Both of these events are things that we're likely to see more of under climate change, they're not separate, all of this is interconnected," she adds.
A year of unprecedented weather, that White warns could become the precedent, if more action against climate change isn’t taken.
“That’s one of the scariest things about climate change, is all of these impacts that we perhaps don’t necessarily think about until we see them happen, and then it’s made clear just how devastating this can be.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
BREAKING Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Unacceptable': Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress taken from plane cabin
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief said her headdress was taken from an airplane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake' on the part of Air Canada.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
'Violation': CSIS had officer investigated after she reported a superior raped her
A CSIS officer's allegations that she was raped repeatedly by a superior in agency vehicles set off a harassment inquiry, but also triggered an investigation into her that concluded the alleged attacks were a “misuse” of agency vehicles by the woman.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.