Spring will be delayed
Spring will be late in Kelowna this year, but it is coming eventually, says Doug Gillham, meteorologist with the Weather Network.
“We are forecasting cooler than normal temperatures for March and into April,” said Gillham. “We’re still feeling the effects of La Nina, which is the cooler than normal ocean water temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean near the Equator.”
The normal high on March 1 in Kelowna is around 6 C and the temperature typically climbs about a degree and a half per week after that, he said.
“Spring is a temperamental season,” said Gillham. “It’s a season of transition.”
Toward the end of April and into May, temperatures in Kelowna will be closer to normal for that time of year, he said.
“It will be a cool start, then you’ll catch up to where you’re supposed to be.”
The Weather Network is predicting precipitation will be near normal in Kelowna this spring.
“The good news there is cooler than normal temperatures and near normal precipitation extends the ski season, and it also delays the start of the wildfire season,” said Gillham.
Preliminary forecasts are predicting a hot and dry summer in the Okanagan, he said.
“So while it may be a delayed start to the season, we are concerned about the summer wildfire season again,” said Gillham. “It’s a pattern that bears some resemblance to last year.”
Today’s forecast high is 4 C with a 30 per cent chance of flurries or rain showers, with an overnight low of –6 C, according to Environment Canada.
Wednesday’s forecast high is 2 C with a 60 per cent chance of flurries or rain showers and an overnight low of 1 C.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty with this system coming in, how much will fall or where exactly it will fall,” said Environment Canada meteorologist Lisa West. “But be prepared for more snow. We’ve been in a very cold pattern all winter long, and it’s going to take a bit more time before we get out of that.”
Snowfall totals for February are not yet available, but the average snowfall in February in Kelowna is 10.8 cm, said West.
“We will be above that number,” she said of this month. “But by how much , we will have to wait and see.”
In Penticton, the average snowfall in February is 7.6 cm. The most snowfall in one day this month was Feb. 17 with 10.2 cm. The same information is not available for Kelowna, because there is not a manned observation station.