Metro Vancouver warned to prepare for a wet, windy Saturday

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Saturday is set to be a wet and blustery day in the Lower Mainland.

NEWS 1130 Meteorologist Michael Kuss explains a special weather statement has been issued for Metro Vancouver.

“The biggest story this afternoon is going to be the wind. Winds could ramp up along the coast especially to 70 or 80 km/h. And we’re going to see sustained winds once this cold front sweeps through in the 50 – 60 km/h range for pretty much everywhere,” he says.

There will be moments when the skies clear, but that’s when the wind will start to whip up.

“There’s still more rain to come through the early afternoon. We could get some breaks in the cloud cover but as seen as you start to see that clearing — that’s when the winds will become the strongest.”

Kuss says although Saturday’s rainfall may dampen some people’s plans, it is welcome after a very dry April.

“We only got about 22 millimetres of rain in Vancouver through the entire month of April. Normal is almost 90 millimetres,” Kuss explains.

“We were below average in March too. We need the moisture. The upside is today is going to be the wettest in the forecast.”

Temperatures are also set to drop.

“The special weather statement that we have is mainly for winds across southern B.C. but is also notes snow over the mountain passes,” he says.

“Yes, it’s May and we’re talking about snow”

Driving on the Coquihalla could be challenging, and some power outages are possible due to wind.

With files from Jonathan Szekeres