Weekend to bring relief from icy temperatures
Meteorologist says we’re unlikely to get weather this cold again this winter
Roman Ammann heads off today on a mountain ski holiday. On Thursday, he was testing a new pair of skis — on Kelowna’s downtown mountain.
The 24-year-old Kelowna man took advantage of heavy snowfall to try out his splitboards, which are snowboards that can be separated into two ski-like parts.
“It’s a great day for skiing and for snowboarding,” Ammann said with a smile.
Bitterly cold temperatures have eased in Kelowna, with overnight temperatures below -18 C earlier this week giving way to forecast highs a few degrees above zero by Monday.
“The dome of arctic air is eroding,” Environment Canada meteorologist Doug Lundquist said Thursday.
“We might get another cold snap this winter, but it’s unlikely to be as cold as this one has been simply because the days are getting longer now and the sun is getting stronger.”
Historically, the coldest day each winter is about Jan. 15, Lundquist said.
Significant snow has also been a feature of this cold snap. A high-elevation Vernon-area weather station has already recorded more snowfall this winter — 1.5 metres — than it normally measures through an entire winter (1.4 metres).
Snowfall amounts aren’t available for Kelowna, but Penticton had 32 centimetres of snow by Wednesday, compared to the full wintertime average of 59 cm.
The Mission Creek snowpack east of Kelowna is currently measuring at the high end of the normal range, Lundquist said.
“It’s above average but certainly not record-breaking,” Lundquist said.