Weather

Ski resorts rejoice as heavens open up with major snowfall
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – If you listen closely, you can hear the shouts of pure joy from skiers and boarders throughout the region. The dump of snow making our lives miserable in the valley bottoms is just what the ski resorts in the Thompson-Okanagan were hoping for. Kelowna’s Big White received 29 centimetres of fresh “Champagne” powder...
Second snow day in a row for North Okanagan-Shuswap students
SCHOOL DISTRICTS 22 AND 83 CANCEL CLASS VERNON - Students in the Vernon and North Okanagan-Shuswap School Districts are getting a second snow day Tuesday, Jan. 6. School District 83 announced Monday evening it will be shutting down all schools due to the continued winter storm warning and Environment Canada’s prediction of freezing rain. District...

First snow day for North Okanagan-Shuswap students in decades
VERNON - It takes a lot for the North Okanagan-Shuswap School District to shut down schools and call for a snow day. Even on Monday with 35- 50 cm of snow accumulating around the region, the district remained hopeful school would carry on. It wasn’t until the eleventh hour — after other districts around the...

Be patient; Vernon road crews will eventually get to your street
UPDATE: PUBLIC TRANSIT RESUMES SERVICE WITH SOME DETOURS IN EFFECT VERNON - City of Vernon crews are working as fast as they can to clear roads, but it will still be some time before all streets are plowed and sanded. With over 35 centimetres of snow in the last 24 hours, public works manager James...
Winter weather causing disruptions at Penticton Regional Airport
PENTICTON - The South Okanagan’s latest onslaught of winter weather is affecting air travel in and out of Penticton Regional Airport. Debra Williams, Corporate Communications officer for Jazz Aviation LP reported Monday morning flight operations in Penticton were being impacted by weather. Air Canada Express (Jazz) flights to and from Penticton were cancelled Sunday due...
IN TWEETS: Okanagan #snowstorm
OKANAGAN – It isn’t exactly Snowmageddon, but it is one of the largest dumps of snow the Okanagan has received in such a short time in over decade. The weather prognosticators at Environment Canada are promising an end to the heavy snow by midnight Monday, followed by flurries and clouds for a few days so...

Weather warming up for new year
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - We’ll still be facing temperatures below seasonal normals, but it will be several degrees warmer for New Year’s Day than it has been over the past few days in the Southern Interior. According to Environment Canada temperatures will reach a high of between -8 Celsius and -5 C today and by the first...

Arctic air promises frigid temperatures for Thompson-Okanagan
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Its back to winter-like conditions in the Thompson-Okanagan Sunday as Arctic air pushes south dropping temperatures and creating snow. Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement warning temperatures will drop to at least ten degrees below normal for this time of year and dumping large amounts of snow on the mountain passes....

Some snow accumulation and a cool-down expected in coming days
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The weather should be reasonable leading up to New Years Day though it will turn chilly and there's some snow in the forecast. In Kamloops, the temperature today is expected to reach a high of -1 C under mostly cloudy skies, according to Environment Canada. With 12 km/h easterly winds, it will feel...

Slight chance for slightly white Christmas
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you have been dreaming of a white Christmas don’t give up hope just yet: Mother Nature could still come through with the gift of your dreams. Environment Canada is calling for a chance of flurries tonight in Kamloops, Vernon and Kelowna while Penticton could see rain this afternoon. Snow could begin in...

B.C. wildfires, cold and heat make list of top 2014 weather stories
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - You would expect that temperature would play a big part in a list of top weather stories, but unlike in previous years Environment Canada says our long, cold winter was the attention grabber in 2014. It was such a cold winter that much of the country remained cooler than usual throughout the summer...

Get your winter driving face on for holiday travel
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you have travel plans over the next couple of days give yourself a little more time, and not just because of the amount of holiday traffic that usually files down the highway at this time of year. The next 24 hours could bring a lot of snow as well. Environment Canada is...

North Okanagan fog phenomenon explained
VERNON - It’s beginning to look a lot like Fog-ville. The Vernon and Armstrong areas have been socked in with low-lying fog on and off for days, leaving the region cloaked in the wrong kind of white stuff for the holidays. So what’s causing the stubborn fog, and when will it be on its merry...

Cooler, wet forecast could help Thompson-Okanagan fire crews
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A little help is in the forecast for fire crews this week as Mother Nature dials down the temperatures and throws in a little rain. While temperatures will be near normal (26-29 Celsius) across the region for the next two days we can also expect to see rain today with a 40 per...

Rare ‘frost flowers’ bloom in the Shuswap
SALMON ARM - Mother Nature sprouted some special flowers last week in Salmon Arm. It’s a rare phenomenon, but when air is colder than ice on a lake, ‘frost flowers’ can grow. Those blossoms were captured by local resident D’Arcy McLeod. “It was like a magic garden of flowers growing on the frozen lake,” McLeod...