What a difference a year makes in South Okanagan weather

PENTICTON – It's not just that this winter seems to last forever, it's that last year, spring was so early.

Remember March 9 last year? Most of the Okanagan Valley was free of snow, and had been for some time.

The temperature on March 9, 2016 reached a high of 7.6 degrees Celsius and a low of 3.5 C with two millimetres of rain.

And there was no ice on Skaha Lake.

Environment Canada predicted a high today of 5 C in Penticton and a low of 2 C, with periods of snow mixed with rain.

Though the temperatures from last year and this year aren't much different, when you compare the photos taken from the same location during the same week last year and today — the contrast is stark.

If you're looking for improvements in the weather pattern don't get your hopes up, especially if you believe Accuweather's long term forecast for the rest of March and April, where below normal temperatures are predicted for at least the next seven weeks.

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