Lower Mainland could see a month's worth of rain over the weekend

If this week’s downpour wasn’t a clear indication — fall weather has arrived in British Columbia.

That’s the sentiment from Environment Canada as well.

According to Matt MacDonald, meteorologist at the agency, the Lower Mainland could be seeing a month’s worth of rain over the course of this weekend.

“It’s definitely been a wet few days,” he tells Daily Hive in an interview. “The first system came yesterday and was pretty heavy.”

MacDonald says that Thursday’s rainfall brought anywhere from 22 to 36 mm of rainfall to Metro Vancouver, depending on the area. He explains that in Vancouver, the average amount of rainfall for the month of September is 50.9 mm and approximately 90 mm on the North Shore.

“After Thursday we’re already at 22 mm,” he says. “There’s another system on our doorstep, so we’ll be close to hitting or breaking the monthly total.”

MacDonald says to expect rain to restart this evening with another 10 to 15 mm tonight.

Saturday looks to be the heaviest day of the weekend, as a cold front brings along 15 to 30 mm of precipitation.

“Saturday evening will definitely be the heaviest,” he says. “Once that system moves through, Sunday looks to be showery, with 5 to 10 mm throughout the day.”

“There’s a bit of a break on Monday, but another system will arrive for Tuesday and Wednesday.”

And for better or worse, it looks like the heavy rain is just a sign of things to come.

“We’re definitely in a fall pattern now,” says MacDonald. “Summer is officially over from a weather standpoint.”

Fortunately, the Lower Mainland isn’t expected to receive any rainfall warnings anytime soon. MacDonald explains that warnings are issued when more than 50 mm of rain is expected in a 24 hour period, or 75 mm in 48 hours.

“The good news is that we’ll get a break in between the systems,” he says. “There’s another system on Tuesday and Wednesday, but we should get some nicer weather come the second half of the week.”

Environment Canada