By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

Environment Canada offering more localized mid-island forecasts

May 16, 2017 | 5:56 PM

NANAIMO — While a nasty storm batters Campbell River, the sun could be shining in Nanaimo.

Now that wide variance in possible weather conditions will be noted by Environment Canada.

The weather agency has unveiled five new forecast regions in B.C., including the east coast of Vancouver Island. Previously, the east coast of the island, from south of Duncan to north of Campbell River, was covered in a single forecast.

Now the region has been divided into three: Courtenay to Campbell River, Nanoose to Fanny Bay and Duncan to Nanaimo.

“Often time we hear feedback from the public that they want more tailored forecasts for some of the smaller communities,” meteorologist Cindy Yu told NanaimoNewsNOW. “They want to get a little more information out of us…often times we want to differentiate the rainfall amounts from the mountains to the lowlands.”

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Yu said B.C. has one of the most complicated topographies in the world, with mountain ranges, valleys and inlets dotting the coast.

“In the future, if we have a rain system that’s affecting northern parts of the island, it may or may not be mentioned when you’re clicking on the Nanaimo forecast because now this part of the forecast will only reflect southern and east sides of the island.”

Qualicum Beach will now have its own dedicated weather page as well. “We know that Qualicum often times gets its own wind, I think we’ll start to see more of those forecasts reflected,” Yu said.

Weather warnings and alerts predicting snowfall accumulations, for example, will also be more accurate and localized.

island-news@jpbg.ca

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