It would seem spring has been a non event in the Okanagan.

After several weeks of below normal temperatures, the May long weekend will bring with it above normal, summer-like temperatures.

Environment Canada Meteorologist, Doug Lundquist, says temperatures through Saturday could approach record highs.

Lundquist expects the hot temperatures to arrive Thursday morning, with highs anticipated to reach the high 20s Thursday and the low 30s Friday and Saturday, a far cry from Tuesday's high of 12.5C.

He says a change in air flow direction is the reason for the sudden rise in temperature.

"Through much of April and the first part of May, in general our flow direction was from the northwest and was bringing cooler air from the North Pacific and Alaska," says Lundquist.

"The flow now is coming from the southwest, so it's originating in a tropical location, actually west of Hawaii. The air mass moving aloft over us is very similar to the subtropics."

You should take advantage of the hot weather while you can, because Lundquist says air flow from the west will cool things down starting Sunday.

"By Monday, the cooler air will most certainly have moved in from the west."

Monday temperatures are forecast in the low 20s.

Over the long haul, Lundquist expects the rest of spring and early summer to be quite unsettled.

"Typically June is unsettled, and it usually starts May 15. We can go from 35C in June to 12C in a matter of a few days or a week. Honestly, I would have to say that we still have to expect that over the next month and a half. That's our normal June."

The warm weekend weather is more than a blessing for sun worshipers. It's also welcome relief to fruit growers in the valley who have also had to endure the cooler temperatures.

B.C. Fruit Growers Association President, Joe Sardinha, says warm weather will allow growers to see how much of their crop has been able to survive the cold.

"We want to see how they develop, what survived the cold and if there were any secondary effects, like frost marks," says Sardinha.

"In many locations there is small fruit showing and we'll be able to gauge whether that fruit is going to be hanging onto the trees."

Sardinha says the warm weather should also allow orchardists to make up some of the time they have lost because of the cooler weather.

He says some orchardists are about 10 days behind where they were last year, but adds, it could be a blessing in disguise.

"When that cold snap hit on the weekend of the 19 and 20 of April, if we had been further ahead, it would have spelled some real gloom and disaster for the industry. There is still a fairly bright outlook for fruit to come of the valley this year."

Sardinha says some growers may be pleasantly surprised at what they see after this weekend's hot spell.