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Elevated ocean levels, flood warnings for Vancouver Island during stormy weekend

Environment ѻý is expecting “significant wind and waves” along South Island shorelines on Sunday.
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A file photo of the Esquimalt Lagoon. Environment ѻý is warning of “significant wind and waves” along the shorelines of Juan de Fuca Strait during high tide. DARREN STONE, TIMES COLONIST

Stormy seas and abnormally high ocean water levels are expected along South Island shorelines on Sunday, according to ѻý’s weather agency.

Environment ѻý is warning of “significant wind and waves” along the shorelines of Juan de Fuca Strait during high tide, affecting nearby communities including Port Renfrew, Esquimalt, Sooke and Victoria.

A confluence of seasonal high tides, a storm surge and strong winds will cause ocean water levels to exceed the highest astronomical tide, the federal agency said.

The agency’s latest weather notice follows a Saturday coastal flooding warning issued for West Vancouver Island coastal communities between Estevan Point lighthouse and Clo-oose, which is within Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.

Saturday also saw Environment ѻý issue an elevated sea-surface notice covering a wide swath of the Island’s outer coast, from the North Island First Nations community of Kyuquot down to East Sooke.

The agency predicted that sea levels could reach 40 centimetres above normal high-tide water marks during the Saturday high tide.

Logs and heavy debris are expected to be deposited on beaches along the coast over the weekend and beachgoers could be swept into the ocean near rocky outcrops, the federal agency said.

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