All the rain won’t make dent in extremely dry conditions in Okanagan, Kamloops

Widespread rain was welcome just about everywhere in the Thompson-Okanagan last night, but it wasn’t enough to erase three months' worth of dry weather in the region.

Environment Canada meteorologist Bobby Sekhon says one of the Okanagan’s driest cities, Vernon, received some of the highest amounts of precipitation last night as 14 millimetres was recorded.

Kelowna saw between two and seven mm while around six mm of rain fell in Penticton. Kamloops saw the least amount of precipitation with only 0.6 mm falling.

“It’s more than we’ve seen in a while, and we’ll take what we can get. Unfortunately, one day’s rain won’t make up for the deficit we’ve had over the last few months,” Sekhon says.

READ MORE: Record-breaking dry conditions in Okanagan don't bode well for summer wildfire season

He says last night’s rain is expected to be the heaviest we’ll see this week before a clearing trend begins mid-week, although a thunderstorm watch was issued this morning for the Okanagan.

"Those thunderstorms have the potential to locally drop 15 to 25 mm of rain," Sekhon says. 

There is a 70 per cent chance of showers throughout Kamloops and the Okanagan valley today, June 14, with highs around 23 Celsius, along with the threat of thunderstorms in the Okanagan.

The chance of rain decreases to 40 per cent Tuesday in the Okanagan, 30 per cent in Kamloops, along with a high of 23 C.

Skies are expected to clear Wednesday with a high of 25 C in Kamloops and 23 C in the Okanagan, with temperatures expected to climb into the 30s by the weekend.

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