Tropical moisture seeps into Canada, but little help for B.C. fires
Remnant moisture from the tropical system drenching California will move into Western Canada this week, but it won’t be enough to help B.C.’s fires
Flash flood warnings cover tens of millions of people in the southwestern United States—including Los Angeles—as Hilary leaves a historic mark on the region. Now post-tropical, Hilary will still bring life-threatening and locally catastrophic flooding through the day on Monday.
The storm’s prolific moisture will flow north into Canada through the week, fuelling rain chances from British Columbia right through to Quebec.
Unfortunately, the rain won’t be enough to fully stifle the fires raging throughout B.C., which have forced thousands to flee their homes and sent air quality plummeting to dangerous levels.
Air quality will once again be at hazardous levels on Monday, though with a notable wind shift blowing the smoke from south to north. This shift will help reduce the intensity of smoke, but the air quality will still remain very poor.
RELATED: Canada next in line for Hilary’s rains after historic U.S. impacts
Significant fires burning near Kelowna and Kamloops have contributed to atrocious air quality readings throughout the region, forcing residents to stay inside or wear quality masks to avoid harm from the air pollution.
Looking ahead at Hilary’s remnants
We saw some clouds and rain push into Western Canada during the day Sunday as the far-reaching outflow from Hilary vents over the region.
A strong jet stream swooping over the western half of North America is giving the storm a boost, helping extend its reach from Mexico to Alberta and beyond.
The storm’s tropical moisture will continue flowing north long after the system itself falls apart over California on Monday. This plume of moisture aloft will meet with a disturbance over Western Canada by the middle of the week, bringing a chance for thunderstorms and steady rainfall to portions of central B.C. and Alberta.
While some areas will see 20-40 mm of rain through the week, the bulk of the rain will miss communities where crews are struggling to get a leg up on out-of-control fires burning through B.C.’s Interior.
Stay tuned for the latest forecast update for Western Canada.
