A High Streamflow Advisory was issued on Sunday afternoon for Vancouver Island and the South Coast.
The BC River Forecast Centre says a significant weather pattern change will occur this week. Temperatures are forecast to increase and moderate to heavy rainfall is expected for Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Centre says a combination of low elevation snowpack, warming temperatures and heavy rainfall will result in creeks and rivers rising, especially at low and mid‐elevation watersheds on the island.
It says places that “experienced flooding last year may have added vulnerabilities due to erosion and higher baseflow conditions.”
These alerts from the BC River Forecast Centre give notice to communities that there is the possibility of a rapid rise in streams and rivers.
However, an advisory does not mean that major flooding is expected, rather there could be minor flooding in low-lying areas.
An advisory is the first stage, followed by a Flood Watch which indicates river and stream levels are rising and could overflow and then a Flood Warning if there’s an imminent threat of flooding in areas near rivers and streams.
After the heavy snow that fell on the region last week, the weather forecast for the next few days is calling for rain, with 30 to 50 millimetres expected by late Tuesday.
The forecast calls for rain to continue throughout the week with daytime and overnight temperatures remaining above freezing.
