South Okanagan should escape snow expected for Kamloops, Kelowna and Vernon

Residents of Kamloops and parts of the Okanagan should prepare for potential snow on the valley floor starting tonight.

Environment Canada meteorologist Armel Castellan is calling the forecast for the next couple of days “tricky,” however. A southern push of air is expected to warm up the lowest levels of the atmosphere along with a low pressure system moving into the region tonight.

“Snow is expected with that warm air, making snowfall amounts a bit tricky to forecast, for sure. We’re not expecting much today and tonight for Kamloops, but tomorrow the city could see 2 to 4 cm, and maybe one more before the system passes through tomorrow night,” Castellan says.

Vernon is expected to be hardest hit, with 2 cm expected overnight and another 5 to 10 cm falling tomorrow.

Kelowna could see as much as 5 cm tomorrow, with snow lingering into the evening hours in that city.

Castellan says the South Okanagan from Osoyoos to Penticton could be spared any significant accumulation as temperatures linger around the freezing mark.

Mountain passes are also expected to be affected by the system.

Castellan says the Hope to Merritt portion of the Coquihalla Highway could see 10 cm overnight and an additional 5 to 10 cm tomorrow.

The Merritt to Kamloops portion of the highway could see a total of 10 cm, while the Okanagan Connector could see 5 cm tonight and an additional 5 to 10 cm tomorrow.  Winds accompanying the low pressure trough are also expected to create blowing snow and visibility issues on mountain highways.

For highway conditions, see the Drive BC website.

“It’s a low-certainty forecast, in that it’s hard to predict how the precipitation is going to manifest itself. The temperatures associated with the front are really riding the fence,” Castellan says.

Things are expected to clear up on the weekend, with sunny skies and highs of 3 C and 0 C for Kamloops on Saturday and Sunday.

The Okanagan should also see a return of the sun, with highs of 5 C and 2 C respectively.

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