The images of a recent atmospheric river are stark and disturbing.
Heavy rainfall in October resulted localized flooding in parts of Metro Vancouver and beyond, and flood watches for other parts of the province.
Coquitlam, in the greater Vancouver area, received 256 millimetres of rain from Oct. 18 to 20. Daily rainfall records were also shattered in numerous parts of British Columbia including Victoria, Squamish, Vancouver, West Vancouver, White Rock, Langley, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Hope, Nakusp, and Agassiz and the Pitt Meadows area.
For residents of Princeton, Merritt, Hope and Abbotsford, these images also brought back memories of the atmospheric river event in November 2021. Some of these communities are still dealing with the aftermath of the disaster caused by that extreme weather event.
These events should not be seen as anomalies, but rather as a growing list of extreme weather events affecting all parts of British Columbia.
A four-day extreme cold snap in early 2024 devastated vineyards and some fruit trees. Wineries and orchards are struggling in the aftermath of that event.
The 2024 wildfire season was one of the worst on record in British Columbia, with significant damage in the northeastern portion of the province.
A year earlier, the province experienced its worst wildfire season ever, with damages more than twice as great as in the second-worst year.
And during some past wildfire seasons, air quality in B.C. Interior was severe enough to prompt health warnings.
A heat dome in 2021 resulted in record-setting temperatures throughout the province. The village of Lytton experienced the hottest temperature ever recorded in Canada. The day after this hot temperature, a fire ravaged the village. Rebuilding is still occurring.
Spring flooding in 2017 and 2018 affected the waterfront areas of numerous communities along Okanagan Lake, as well as other parts of the province鈥檚 Southern Interior.
Climate extremes in British Columbia may take many forms, but in each case, the damages are significant.
Solutions and coping strategies are needed right now.
鈥� Black Press
