A Pacific storm system is brewing and forecast to bring unseasonably heavy winds and strong rain to the region beginning Tuesday night. (Windy.com)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

WINDY RIDE

Spring storm forecast to pack windy punch for Nanaimo & Oceanside

May 17, 2022 | 12:07 PM

NANAIMO — A storm system brewing off the coast of B.C. is set to be a bit of a spring wildcard for the region.

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for eastern Vancouver Island, along with wind warnings for western sections of the Island, advising of strong winds and heavy rains beginning in the evening of Tuesday, May 17.

Armel Castellan, meteorologist with Environment Canada, said it’s a rare spring storm which will hit a little different.

“This storm is going to have a feel that is much autumn or winter-like in the pattern setup. I’m not saying that it’s necessarily as violent as we’ll see in the winter but it is going to pack a punch.”

Forecasts for the Nanaimo and Oceanside regions feature wind gusts upwards of 70 to 80 kilometres per hour into the morning of Wednesday, May 18 along with some driving rain.

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Combining wind and rain with continued unseasonably cooler conditions will make things like power outages a distinct possibility, according to Castellan.

“It’s out of season so power outages are a little bit more ambiguous because we don’t always know how late spring, now that the leaves are out of the trees, are going to react to a good solid push of wind.”

Cooler temperatures will also mean a mixture of snow and rain at lower elevations and a spring snowfall on mountain tops.

The special weather statement said between 40 and 60 millimetres of precipitation is expected over parts of western Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast and the North Shore mountains in the Lower Mainland.

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