With heavy rain in the forecast for B.C.'s South Coast this week, officials are urging people to clear out sewer drains and catch basins to prevent potential flooding.
Environment Canada expects downpours from Monday to Wednesday in Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, the Sunshine Coast and Whistler, and says accumulated ice could also start to melt as frigid temperatures subside.
"Beginning today we're going to have a big change," meteorologist Alyssa Charbonneau said. "We're stepping back into November weather."
That could cause problems if drains are clogged with debris, leaves or more ice.
It's a particular concern in areas like Coquitlam's Westwood Plateau, where snow is piled six feet high in places, but Mayor Richard Stewart said crews will be working hard to prevent flooding in the city.
"Certainly any culvert that goes under the road can't get blocked because it could wash out a road. So we end up maintaining and constantly monitoring the really critical catch basins," Stewart said.
The City of Vancouver said crews will also be trying to prevent flooding at homes and businesses by targeting known problem areas, but it encouraged residents to do their part on their own streets as well.
People can also seal cracks and openings in walls, floors, windows and foundations to help prevent damage, the city added.
The warming weather also ended a 10-day stretch of skating on Trout Lake, which the park board closed off at noon due to thinning ice and slushy conditions.
Staff put up barriers and signs to notify people of the closure, and rangers and guards will be on site shooing people away.
Unfortunately, the sun has yet to melt the thick layer of ice that's forced the closure of the Stanley Park seawall between Siwash Rock and the Lions Gate Bridge. The park board said it hopes to reopen the seawall by the end of the week.
The temperature increase is the result of a mild Pacific plume that’s blowing over from the Philippines, replacing the arctic air that’s chilled the South Coast in recent weeks, according to a special weather statement issued by Environment Canada over the weekend.
Areas further inland, including Port Alberni and Hope, are expected to receive snow or freezing rain as “mild air moves over entrenched cold," it read.
With files from CTV Vancouver's Sheila Scott and Nafeesa Karim
