A flood warning has been issued for parts of eastern Vancouver Island as heavy rain along the British Columbia coast are expected to continue over the next few days.
The province's River Forecast Centre has issued the warning for Dove Creek and adjacent areas near Courtenay and is maintaining a high streamflow advisory for the rest of the island, Haida Gwaii and B.C.'s south coast.
It says prolonged periods of moderate to heavy rain are possible, with rainfall totals possibly reaching 200 millimetres in a three-day period that started earlier this week.
Temperatures are expected to remain seasonally warm and additional run-off from snowmelt is expected in areas with snow on the ground.
Environment Canada has issued its own warnings, saying parts of Vancouver Island could face up to 140 millimetres of rainfall in the next 24 hours
The weather agency says communities such as Tofino, Ucluelet, Bamfield, Zeballos and Tahsis will be among the hardest hit,
The warning, which also covers a stretch of Highway 4 linking Tofino and Ucluelet to the rest of Vancouver Island, also calls for the higher risk for landslides especially in deforested or recently burned areas.
The Bamfield area had been hard hit by wildfire last year with the Mount Underwood blaze that started in August, which closed the community's main road link to Port Alberni for months as crews worked to repair fire damage and stabilize the land.
The provincial government's DriveBC information system says another stretch of highway on Vancouver Island — Highway 28 from Campbell River to Gold River — has already been closed due to washout as the area experienced heavy rain in the last few days.
Warnings are also active for parts of eastern Vancouver Island from Nanoose Bay to Campbell River, with up to 70 millimetres expected, and in parts of Metro Vancouver where total rainfall over the past few days could reach 90 millimetres.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
