British Columbians are warned to brace for more inclement weather as "another parade of storms" hits the province this week following devastating flooding.
AccuWeather indicates the first storm will arrive across the Pacific Northwest later in the day on Monday then slide into the Intermountain West by Tuesday. Rainfall will likely arrive Monday along the coast and in the western portions of the region, including in Vancouver.
On Tuesday, this storm will likely combine with another area of low pressure from the southwestern U.S. to "bring snow and flurries to some of the Rocky Mountains, including Calgary, Alberta, and Missoula, Montana."
The report authors note that the second storm "will be the one to really watch out for" as it is expected to bring heavy rain that could produce flooding and increase the risk of mudslides.
"Multiple waves of moisture will lead to excessive rainfall in the Pacific Northwest later this week into this weekend," said AccuWeather Storm Warning Meteorologist Dana Carron.
The storms will have a greater impact on places that have already experienced widespread flooding.
From Wednesday to Friday, the forecast calls for another one to two inches of rainfall in places including Vancouver and Terrace. But there's another element that AccuWeather forecasters say could have potentially dangerous ramifications: warmth.
"Higher temperatures accompanying these systems will lead to snowmelt in the Washington Cascades and the Canadian Rockies which will further intensify the potential for flooding," said Carron.
As the snowmelt increases, it enhances the flooding of rivers and streams. If rivers or streams swell high enough, they could wash out roadways or even bridges, as was the case last week.
AccuWeather meteorologists deemed the areas with the highest potential for flooding will be "across the Olympic Peninsula, Vancouver Island, the northern Cascades and areas of the Coast Mountains from the U.S. border to Terrace."
Following this stormy week, the forecast includes warmer conditions, which could further melt the snow across mountains worsen flooding.
