June was drier and warmer than normal in Kamloops and the Okanagan

The rain that fell in the last week of June failed to keep the Thompson-Okanagan’s four major cities from registering a much drier than normal month.

Environment Canada meteorologist Bobby Sekhon says it was much drier than normal last month in Kamloops, Vernon, Kelowna and Penticton.

Kamloops received just over half the normal rainfall it usually gets in June.

“It was similar in the Okanagan, between 50 and 60 per cent. It’s unfortunate because June is normally the wettest month of the year. We really rely on June rains to set the tone for the summer,” he says.

Kamloops had only 56.7 per cent of normal precipitation for June with 21.2 mm. Penticton was not far behind at 54.4 per cent or 25.2 mm of rain. Vernon had 66.8 per cent of normal precipitation with 39.5 mm, while 45.9 mm of rain fell in Kelowna which is 59 per cent of normal.

Temperatures were also warmer than normal, but not quite as drastically.

Sekhon says it was the fourth warmest June on record for Kelowna, but temperature records don’t go back as far in that city as they do in Vernon, Kamloops or Penticton.

The average temperature in Kamloops and Penticton last month were around half a degree warmer, while Kelowna and Vernon experienced temperatures approximately two degrees warmer than usual.

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