Balmy winter continues after driest January on record for parts of Okanagan

It was the driest January on record for large swaths of the Okanagan and the forecast is showing more of this unusually mild winter.

Penticton and Kelowna had the driest January on record. Penticton had 2.5 millimetres of precipitation out of a normal 28.1 mm and Kelowna had 7.1 mm of precipitation out of a normal 31 mm, according to Environment Canada.

Kamloops and Vernon were a bit wetter last month but still way below normal. Vernon had 17.8 mm of precipitation out of its normal 37.1 mm and Kamloops had 5.3 mm of precipitation out of a normal 21.7 mm.

All four cities were far warmer than normal. Kelowna’s average temperature for January was 0.7 Celsius and it’s normally -1.2 C. Penticton’s average temperature was 1.7 C and it’s normally -0.8 C. Vernon’s average temperature was -0.6 C and it’s usually -3.5 C. Kamloops’ average temperature was 0.3 C and the normal is -2.7 C.

Environment Canada meteorologist Bobby Sekhon said the current weather pattern is going to keep temperatures up.

“We’re under this pretty strong ridge of high pressure that’s elevating temperatures and also giving drier weather, unfortunately,” Sekhon told iNFOnews.ca.

The forecast for the next week isn’t showing much of a change to this easy going winter in the region.

The Okanagan is showing daily highs around 8 C until the weekend when temperatures should start to drop to 5 C early next week. With daily low temperatures around 0 C and -1 C over the weekend there is a chance of a mix of flurries and rain over the weekend leading into next week.

The Vernon Winter Carnival starts this weekend, but the forecast isn’t showing a winter wonderland atmosphere. Fans of the ice sculptures at SilverStar Mountain Resort shouldn’t be too worried since the forecasted daily high temperatures for the resort are just below freezing.

Kamloops is supposed to be much warmer with daily highs around 10 C, peaking on Saturday with a high of 11 C before dropping to 6 C next week with no rain or snow in the forecast.

Skiers and snowboarders should keep their gear tuned up and prepare for some potentially icy conditions since the freezing level is up at 3,000 metres to 3,500 m this week before dropping to 1,500 metres on the weekend.

Vancouver is entering February without any snow having officially been recorded at its airport weather station, potentially putting the city on track for its first snow-free winter in 43 years. If none falls by spring, it would be the first time Vancouver had gone snow-free since the winter of 1982-1983.

Sekhon said the typical winter isn’t going to rear its head for the foreseeable future.

“We’ll see maybe flashes of winter,” he said. “We’ll see cooler temperatures at the higher elevations and possibility of snow this weekend at the higher elevations, but not really true winter conditions.”