December looking good weather-wise in Okanagan, Kamloops but January, February not so much

Enjoy the sunny, mild weather in the Okanagan and Kamloops while it lasts because, according to Environment Canada, January and February are looking particularly bitter and wintery.

The recent sunny skies and above average temperatures are expected to linger for several days, with a seasonal outlook for winter that indicates a warmer than average December. It's the first day of winter today, Dec. 1, meteorologically speaking.

“December looks to be way warmer than average,” Environment Canada meteorologist Doug Lundquist says, but adds we could be facing a colder than average January and February.

“Get out and enjoy this weather while you can. It’s about as good as it’s going to get," he says. "Winter is going to come later and stick around later."

Lundquist says his top three choices for Christmas gifts this year are a snow shovel, sunglasses and a toque.

Looking back at the fall season, he says the only exceptional weather of note was an early snowfall on Oct. 23 that set records in some parts of the Thompson and Okanagan.

The smoky skies of September were also exceptional for that time of the year, but other than being slightly warmer than normal, fall was, in a word, boring.

Lundquist says November statistics indicate November was also pretty ordinary, with no extreme weather patterns or unusual weather conditions to speak of.

Last month saw temperatures in Kamloops and the Okanagan slightly above seasonal norms while precipitation was about as close as one can get to the monthly average in Kamloops, Vernon, Kelowna and Penticton.

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