Wintery blast for Okanagan, Kamloops with significant snow on the way

Kamloops and Okanagan residents can expect to put their shovels to use over the next few days as more snow is forecast.

“It’s a busy weather pattern, to say the least,” Environment Canada meteorologist Doug Lundquist says.

A system moving through the region today, Feb. 5, is expected to drop 10 to 15 centimetres of snow over the South Okanagan and between five and 10 cm in Kelowna and Vernon. Kamloops could see five cm.

Weather alerts have been issued today by Environment Canada for snowfall warnings for Highway 97 from Clinton to 100 Mile House via Begbie Summit, Highway 3 from Hope to Princeton via Allison Pass, and the South Okanagan including Penticton.

But Lundquist says another system heading our way tomorrow and Friday is expected to bring an additional eight to 15 cm of snow to the South and Central Okanagan, and five to 10 cm to the North Okanagan and Kamloops.

Lundquist says moderating temperatures heading into the weekend likely won’t be enough to change the snow to rain.

“It could turn to wet snow, but there isn’t a lot of warming with this system. It could get wetter than it has been, but I don’t see it turning to rain.”

Looking toward the weekend, Lundquist says things should start drying out with the possibility of some sun and highs above freezing on Sunday.

“The long range forecast is pointing to another Arctic outbreak later into next week,” he says.

“It doesn’t look as cold as the one in January, but it looks like we’ll be into some colder Arctic air again.”

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