Rainfall warning issued for Metro Vancouver, snow expected in southern Interior

Environment Canada has issued a range of weather warnings for B.C.'s South Coast and southern Interior, with heavy rainfall expected on Vancouver Island and Metro Vancouver on Tuesday.

The forecaster says a "moisture-laden Pacific frontal system" will bring up to 70 millimetres of rain starting Tuesday afternoon in Metro Vancouver, the western and central Fraser Valley and Howe Sound.

Freezing rain is expected for Highway 3 from Hope to Princeton, the Coquihalla Highway from Hope to Merritt, and the Similkameen and Nicola regions, according to the weather office.

Further east, a special weather statement warns of snowfall, with up to 25 centimetres expected in the Okanagan, Kootenay and Columbia regions.

The weather agency says precipitation is expected to ease by Wednesday morning but is warning of hazardous driving conditions amid the snow and rain.

It says that precipitation may transition to rain in the Kootenays by Wednesday, resulting in slushy conditions.

"There is still uncertainty regarding exact snowfall amounts and the timing of the snow-to-rain transition in each region," the special weather statement said of the situation in the southern Interior. "Snowfall warnings may be issued as the situation becomes clearer."

On the South Coast, the forecaster says localized flooding could occur due to the heavy downpours, with a rainfall warning saying that up to 100 mm of rain is expected near Port Renfrew on western Vancouver Island.

CBC News science specialist Darius Mahdavi said that the storm was especially significant as a lot of rain will fall in a short period of time and much of Metro Vancouver could see 40 to 60 millimetres of rain.

"The Sea to Sky, as well, could get 10 to 20 centimetres of snow up in Whistler, too," he said. "So good news for skiers, not so much for people trying to get up to skiing."

Mahdavi said that in the wake of the storm on Wednesday, temperatures would come up, and precipitation would transition to rain — which could mean that accumulated snow gets wiped away in regions like Kelowna and freezing levels jump up for local mountains.

Snowfall for Sea to Sky region

A snowfall warning was also issued for the Sea to Sky Highway and Whistler, B.C., with 15 to 20 centimetres of snow expected by early Wednesday morning.

It comes after a landslide just north of Lions Bay, B.C., closed the highway for almost all of Saturday.

The landslide led to one house being knocked off its foundations, killing one person. Rescuers were still trying to locate another of the home's occupants as of Monday evening.