Today's cold temperatures set new records in the Thompson-Okanagan

Photo: Colin Dacre

We may only be in October, but the snow and cold weather makes it feel like winter is here.

Sunday morning set new records for coldest temperatures in the north end of the region, while the southern portion came close.

Kamloops blew past the previous record for coldest Oct. 25 in history, which was set at -7.8 C in 1954.

"We recorded temperatures of -11.2 C this morning in Kamloops," says Environment Canada meteorologist Lisa Erven, adding that it hit the low sometime between 6 and 8 a.m.

Just a little farther south, Vernon shattered the old record which has stood for over 100 years.

"We recorded -10.1 C in Vernon, which beat the previous record which was -5.6 C set back in 1919," says Erven. "It kind of knocked the old record out of the park."

As for Kelowna, while it did come very close, the city did not quite set a record. This morning's temperatures came in second place with -5.5 C, with the current record standing at -6.1 C, set in 1970. Penticton recorded its fourth-coldest Oct. 25 ever at -3.4 C.

These numbers are considered preliminary, as there is always a chance the temperatures could cool down again before the evening.

Despite the unseasonably cold temperatures, the region has seen colder October days in the past. On Oct. 31, 1984, the temperature dropped to a low of -17.1 C in Kamloops and -20.5 C in Vernon. 

Erven says the temperatures in the Interior are expected to climb to more seasonable levels next week, with highs around 10 C expected by Wednesday.