Heat warning issued for Okanagan Valley
With high temperature of 36 C in forecast, today will be hottest day of next 2 weeks
Atemperature record for Vernon could be set today as the B.C. Interior becomes the bull’s eye of a large high pressure system.
The forecast high for the North Okanagan city is 36 C, just shy of the record for July 17 of 36.7, set in 1994.
Kelowna’s high is also forecast to be 36 C, but that’s three degrees below the record for the date.
“Tuesday is going to be the hottest day of the next two weeks,” Environment Canada meteorologist Lisa Erven said Monday.
A heat warning has been issued for the Okanagan, with people advised to be alert for signs of heat-related illnesses such as swelling of the skin, rashes and cramps.
“The risks are greater for young children, pregnant women, older adults, people with chronic illnesses and people working or exercising outdoors,” the heat advisory states.
The centre of a large high pressure ridge will move from the Coast to the Interior today, driving temperatures about eight degrees hotter than usual for mid-July.
As the ridge moves east toward Alberta, Okanagan temperatures will fall back to a more seasonal range later in the week and on the weekend. No significant rain is forecast for the next seven days, although there’s a chance of showers at higher elevations.
The Weather Network predicts highs in the low 30s early next week, then a few degrees cooler toward month’s end.
On Monday, Okanagan Lake had a temperature of almost 22 C, according to an Environment Canada thermome- ter affixed below the water’s surface on the William R. Bennett Bridge.
That was slightly warmer than the Pacific Ocean beaches of Los Angeles, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Information website.