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Kelowna  

Nicest February on record


This past February will go down in history as being the mildest on record since 1991, with an average temperature of 4.5 degrees Celsius.

According to Environment Canada, Kelowna’s winter – from December through to February – was the second warmest recorded since 1968.

Lisa Coldwells says it wasn’t as nice in Vernon and Penticton, but winter in Kelowna was unseasonably warm and it’s expected to continue through March.

“There is a broad scale upper ridge that has been sitting over the province for most of the winter and this broad weather pattern is going to continue, at least through till the middle of March.”

We are looking at generally sunny skies, according to Coldwells, with temperatures above normal for the beginning of the month, which usually hovers around 7 degrees.

“We are looking at temperatures for the weekend being around 12 or 13 degrees, and on Monday it will be 14 degrees.”

Environment Canada is also forecasting below normal precipitation.

While Coldwells was hesitant to call an early spring for the Okanagan, she did say the forecast looks better than she has ever remembered.

“There is no more low cloud anymore, the sun angle is too high, so it certainly feels like spring.”

Which is more than our neighbours to the east can say, as Coldwells explains, they will experience below normal temperatures and weather systems that could bring precipitation and Arctic air.

“The climate models that show us a hint of what is happening, it appears things will continue the way they are going. It will be very persistent, so what you have is what you’re going to get,” she says.

That is good news for us here in B.C. and maybe not so good news for those experiencing 40 below and snow drifts.



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