Snowfall buries 94-year record
25 centimetres of snow that fell Thursday near twice as much as old record for Dec. 28
Jackson the Shih Tzu was dressed in a bright-red jacket to venture out in Thursday’s snow. “He didn’t want to come out at all,” said his human, Sylvia Clerke.
“But, he had no choice. He has to have his walk, even if there is a lot of snow.”
The dump of snow Kelowna received Thursday was recordbreaking.
Depending on neighbourhood, up to 25 centimetres fell from midnight to 3 p.m., when the snow finally petered out.
“I know on Wednesday we forecasted two to four centimetres overnight and then five to 10 centimetres during the day,” said Environment Canada meteorologist Allan Coldwells.
“But that moist, warmer air from the Pacific arrived earlier than expected and pushed harder right into the cold dome of Arctic air that’s been hanging around. It definitely set us up for heavier snow.”
While Thursday’s measurement of 25 centimetres is unofficial at this point, it smashes the previous record for the most snow on Dec. 28, which is 15.2 centimetres and was set in 1923.
While Thursday’s white stuff sent everyone scrambling, it was still a long way off the record for the most snow to blanket Kelowna in a single day, which was 40.6 centimetres on Dec. 11, 1927.
After the bulk of the snow hit the ground, Environment Canada called off its snowfall warning at 3 p.m. Thursday. But, that doesn’t mean the snow is over. A new weather system arriving today will give us five more centimetres of frozen precipitation.
And early on Saturday morning, another five centimetres is forecast.
“Then it should be mostly clear and cold for the weekend,” said Coldwells.
That sets us up for a mix of sun and clouds on Saturday, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, with lows around -10 C and highs up to -4 C.
“There are a lot of parents who are in a challenging situation,” she says. “Many families are living in tough times, and every little bit helps.”
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