Vancouver is one of Canada’s wettest major cities, averaging around 1,200 mm (about 47 inches) of rain a year, most of it falling between October and March as Pacific storm systems roll in off the ocean. Much like Seattle to the south, the rain here tends to arrive as prolonged, moderate showers rather than short, violent downpours, shaped by the coastal mountains that wring moisture out of incoming weather systems. The more serious risk comes from atmospheric river events, when a narrow band of concentrated tropical moisture is directed at the coast and can trigger landslides in the surrounding mountains and flooding in low-lying river valleys nearby. Because these events can escalate from routine rain to a serious hazard within a day, radar imagery gives a much clearer real-time read than seasonal averages alone. Environment Canada operates the regional Doppler radar network used to track these systems as they make landfall.
Learn more: How Does Rain Radar Work? · Open the full Rain Map