Rainfall warning on the North Shore, power outage in White Rock as Metro Vancouver gets slammed by fall storm

Storm drenches South Coast Fall has arrived with a powerful storm that's already caused flooding, and a weather warning has been issued for Metro Vancouver.

Vancouver — The first full day of fall is packing quite a punch in Metro Vancouver, as the first storm of the season hits the region with rain and wind.

Environment Canada first issued a rainfall warning for North and West Vancouver, but expanded it across much of Metro Vancouver around 9 a.m. Wednesday.

The agency is forecasting between 40 and 70 millimetres could fall in some areas of Metro Vancouver by Thursday morning.

Areas affected by the warning include Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, North and West Vancouver, Coquitlam, Maple Ridge, Surrey, Langley, Richmond and Delta

On Lonsdale Avenue in North Vancouver, water was pooling in some areas by 6 a.m. Wednesday, with storm drains unable to keep up with all the rain.

The City of Vancouver says it has crews working around the clock to make sure the rain doesn’t become a bigger problem.

“It’s our first big rain of the season,” said Daniel Roberge, the city’s director of water and sewers. “We encourage our residents to call 3-1-1 if they see areas where it’s flooding so we can re-direct our crews.”

He is also urging people who have adopted catch-basins to make sure they are clear.

Environment Canada says “vigorous frontal systems” will be felt across the South Coast until Saturday, bringing periods of heavy rain and strong winds to both the Lower Mainland and parts of Vancouver Island.

While it appears Wednesday and Thursday will bring the most intense rainfall, “the wet pattern will continue with more rain expected Friday and Saturday,” the statement says.

The statement does not indicate how strong winds may become in Metro Vancouver but does say they may lead to power outages.

BC Hydro confirms that an early-morning power outage in White Rock caused by trees on hydro wires was related to the weather. About 2,200 hydro customers were affected by the outage.

BC Hydro says its meteorologists have been tracking the system.

“We do have crews located in the right places right now with the right equipment. It’s something we’re definitely keeping an eye on. But for us we’re thinking this is probably going to be a pretty standard set of storms so we are ready to respond if the power does go out,” Mora Scott with BC Hydro told CTV News.

Scott says crews are keeping a close eye on Metro Vancouver but are also concerned about the potential outages on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.

“We really want to encourage people to be prepared,” Scott added.