Heat wave in Okanagan, Kamloops likely won’t last

A mini heat wave is hitting the South Thompson and South Okanagan regions, but the weather office says it’s going to pass later in the week.

Environment Canada has put out a heat warning since temperatures are expected to go up to 32 Celsius in South Thompson and South Okanagan today, Aug. 11, and only cooling off to around 20 C overnight. The hot daytime temperatures are forecast to peak tomorrow at around 35 Celsius in Penticton and 36 C in Kamloops. 

Meteorologists issue a heat warning in the South Thompson and Okanagan when the forecast calls for two or more consecutive days of maximum temperatures of 35 C or more, and nighttime minimum temperatures of 18 C or warmer.

“It’s really indicative of a lot of the pattern that we’ve had for much of the summer,” Environment Canada meteorologist Brian Proctor told iNFOnews.ca. “We get some heat for a few days, and then we cool things back, maybe get a few showers or a chance of thunderstorms. I don’t see widespread precipitation, but we get a little bit of a cool down, and it warms back up.”

The Central and North Okanagan are not under a heat warning even with daytime high temperatures around 35 C in Kelowna and Vernon tomorrow since overnight the mercury is expected to drop to 17 C. Although those two regions could be included with the weather changes and they meet the criteria.

The weather is expected to cool over the course of the week eventually reaching more seasonal, mid-20s by the weekend. Forecasters think there is a chance of rain on Wednesday for Kamloops and the Okanagan, and maybe some more light showers on the weekend.

“The most we’ll see through much of the southwest Interior, maybe a 30 per cent chance of showers and some widely scattered showers, but nothing that’s going to really put a whole lot of moisture on the landscape,” Proctor said.

Overnight temperatures could also drop significantly to the mid-teens later this week.

“We’re going to drop those overnight temperatures as well as we go from Wednesday onwards, which is going to make for a little bit of better sleeping conditions for people that are up there,” Proctor said.