Residents of the Fraser Valley need to be prepared for even more rain this weekend, with another significant weather system coming early next week, according to Brian Proctor, meteorologist for Environment and Climate Change Canada.

The frontal system that is currently draped across the southern parts of B.C. is moving north, he says, bringing more rain to areas already dealing with flooding.

Proctor tells 1130 NewsRadio another atmospheric river is coming, but it won’t be as severe as the one seen on Wednesday.

“We’ll probably see another 10 to 20 millimetres out there through the overnight tonight,” Proctor said Friday afternoon.

But there may be a bit of a break on Saturday.

“We actually may see a little bit of blue sky Saturday afternoon at this point in time,” he said.

The system will pick up again Saturday evening, continuing into Sunday, he says.

Proctor says that while this week’s weather has hit hard, it doesn’t compare to 2021’s atmospheric river event.

“We dodged a bullet, to a large degree, with this particular event that came on Wednesday of this week,” he said.

“The majority of the strongest core of the effects of that atmospheric river were felt in Washington state. They weren’t felt in southern British Columbia to the same kind of degree.”

He points out that while this week saw significant precipitation up in the Chilliwack Mountain area, Cultus Lake, and Hope, 2021’s event saw everything from Pemberton all the way out to the South Coast affected.

Proctor says the weekend’s rain will likely be heaviest in the eastern part of the Fraser Valley out towards Hope, with Abbotsford seeing a bit less.

He points out that the situation remains quite dangerous for those living in the area, with riverbank failures common after heavy rain such as that seen this week.

“It’s really important to listen to what the emergency measures people are telling you,” he said.

“If you’ve got an evacuation notice or alert, listen to what they are saying.”