Sunset sets on 2018
Warm temperatures likely for New York New Year’s
New Year’s Eve revellers should prepare for sub-zero, but not bone-chilling conditions tonight in Stuart Park.
The temperature at 9 p.m., when the fireworks go off in Festival Kelowna's annual end of the year family-oriented spectacular, should be around -5 C.
That’s somewhat warmer than the typical low for late December, Environment Canada meteorologist Louis Kohanyi says, and will cap a month that was itself notable for its relative balminess.
“The average high temperature so far this month has been 3.5 C, which is well above the normal maximum of 0.7 C,” Kohanyi said.
December 2018 will likely end up as one of four or five warmest Decembers on record in Kelowna.
As of Sunday, the mean temperature – the average of daytime highs and lows – has been 0.4 C. The warmest December in Kelowna was in 2002 when the mean temperature was 1.3 C. The second warmest was in 1999, when the mean temperature was 0.6 C.
A steady airflow from the southwest throughout much of this month delivered the mild conditions, with none of the deep and protracted Arctic outflows that can occur during December.
The average overnight low in Kelowna this month has been -1.8 C, about four degrees warmer than is typical for December.
It was a green month, up until the last few days, with just 21 cm of snow, 14 cm of which came on Saturday. A normal December sees 32 cm of snow in Kelowna.
Today should be mainly sunny with some cloudy periods, but no snow is in the forecast for New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day.
For the first week of 2019, continuing mild weather is forecast, with highs of about 2 C and lows of -2 C.
Last month was the 10th warmest November in Kelowna since 1969.