Southwest B.C. warned to brace for heavy rain and snow with incoming atmospheric river

Authorities in British Columbia have issued warnings to residents of the province's southwest to prepare for an atmospheric river bearing down on the area.

The statement from the Ministry of Emergency Management says Environment Canada is forecasting a series of storms bringing heavy rain until Thursday, with a peak expected on Tuesday.

It says western Vancouver Island, Howe Sound, the Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley and coastal mountains will see heavy precipitation starting Monday, but with four days before the peak, there's uncertainty around the total amounts of rain and snow.

The bulletin comes just over two years after a series of atmospheric rivers caused landslides that killed five people, and widespread flooding that washed out key stretches of highways and swamped homes and farmland east of Vancouver.

The province says B.C.'s River Forecast Centre monitors forecasts closely and it will issue advisories and warnings should they be required during next week's storm.

Officials are asking people to take precautions to ensure personal safety, including developing a household plan, putting together emergency kits, connecting with neighbours and learning about their local government's emergency response plan.

Heavy snow is already blanketing highway passes in southern B.C.

On Friday, Environment Canada warned that up to 20 centimetres of snow could fall on the Coquihalla, Highway 3 and the Sea to Sky Highway, as a result of what the agency said was "an intense frontal trough" that hit the province's South Coast overnight.

"Rapidly accumulating snow will make travel difficult," the agency said on its website. "Visibility may be suddenly reduced at times in heavy snow."