Okanagan, Kamloops expecting lightning with little rain

The weather forecast isn’t ideal for the Okanagan and Kamloops with the serious wildfires in the region.

It isn’t supposed to be too hot this week, with daily high temperatures just below 30 Celsius, but there are some thunderstorms heading this way.

“The afternoon showers and thunderstorms aren’t going to be all that rainy. It’s going to be not quite dry lightning, but pretty close. And so that doesn’t bode very well for the fire weather situation,” Environment Canada meteorologist Dave Carlson told iNFOnews.ca.

The storms are expected to roll through the Thompson-Okanagan region later today, Aug. 13, and tomorrow with a 30 to 40 per cent chance of showers.

Carlson said it would likely only be five to 10 millimetres if rain does fall.

There are yellow air quality warnings in Central Okanagan and Kamloops, with an orange warning for Penticton. Vernon doesn’t have an air quality warning at the moment.

It isn’t supposed to be too windy, with wind speeds staying around 20 to 30 km/h, but there’s a chance of occasional gusts up to 70 or 80 km/h.

“When I say occasional gusts, I’m talking about one gust that lasts 30 seconds and goes to 70 or 80 and then calms back down to the background 20 or 30 kilometers an hour,” Carlson said.

People’s eyes are on the weather because their minds are on the Bald Ridge wildfire in Summerland which has forced thousands of people to evacuate, including Carlson’s mother.

The meteorologist said his mom is fine, her house isn’t damaged and she’s staying with a relative in Kelowna.

Concerns are high about wind and lightning strikes, and evacuees are anxious to be able to return home.

Some evacuees from the Quilpituk Creek fire on Westside Road should be getting a timeline for returning on Aug. 14, but the Central Okanagan’s emergency operations centre information officer Kari O’Rourke said it’s important for people to try to stay calm and patient.

Shee said it takes time for a wildfire to completely settle, especially since fires underground can last months if not extinguished.

“As we’ve experienced with other fires in our region, we know that the burning underground can take some time, well into the winter before that’s resolved,” O’Rourke said. “There are dangers out there, such as danger trees that can come down at a moment’s notice.

“We just want to ensure that residents have the best information so that they can return safely.”