Snow this week in Kamloops, Okanagan expected to give way to mild but windy weekend

Remnants of last week's deep freeze are expected to linger for another two or three days, but Kamloops and the Okanagan should be considerably warmer by the weekend.

Environment Canada meteorologist Doug Lundquist says between now and then, motorists should be aware of changing road conditions, both in and out of the valleys.

“It’s back to spring for us over the next few days. By the weekend our temperatures should be well above normal,” he says.

A weak system is expected to dump between four and six centimetres of snow today and tonight, Feb. 16, with lesser amounts expected in the south and central Okanagan.

The Hope to Merritt portion of the Coquihalla Highway could see 10 cm today and tonight.

Wednesday should see a mix of sun and cloud with highs of between 3 Celsius and 5 C, with a return to snow on Thursday.

Another storm expected Thursday could drop an additional two to four cm on valley bottoms, with higher amounts expected on mountain passes.

Lundquist says Kamloops might take a day or two longer to get out of the cooler air, but all regions could see highs in the double digits by Sunday.

He says a system expected on the weekend should bring strong winds and showers in what he calls “a Chinook-like pattern.”

“That should completely pull us out of this little episode we’ve had with winter,” he says.

Kamloops could see a high of 11 C by Sunday, with a high of 7 C expected in Vernon, Kelowna and Penticton.

Normal daily highs and lows for Kamloops this time of year is 5 C and -4 C. Vernon, Kelowna and Penticton's normal daily high and low is 2 C and -5 C.

The polar vortex responsible for last week’s cold extended itself deep into the State of Texas over the weekend, Lundquist says.

“I saw pictures of  snow on Galveston beaches, where temperatures of -6 C were recorded. That’s pretty cold, and weird, for that area,” he says.

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