Daily high records broken again as spring arrives in Kamloops and the Okanagan

For the third consecutive day, Kelowna, Vernon and Merritt have set new high temperature records.

Kelowna reached 19.4 Celsius yesterday, March 18, breaking its 1932 record of 17.8 C. That was also the highest temperature set over the past three days.

The same was true in Vernon which reached 19.8 C on Monday, breaking its 1910 record high of 16.7 C.

Merritt recorded 22.5 C, breaking its high of 17.1 C set in 2021 but it was cooler than it’s Sunday record high of 23.2 C.

Osoyoos set at high temperature record of 22 C on Monday, just down from its record-breaking high of 22.2 C on Sunday.

Record highs were also set in Clearwater (19.3 C), Clinton (16.9 C) and Lytton (20.1 C) on Monday.

In all, 22 new records were set in BC on Monday and 24 in Alberta.

READ MORE: 'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record

The forecast for today, which is the first day of spring, is continued warm temperatures with a high of 19 C in Kelowna and Vernon, according to Environment Canada’s online forecast.

Kamloops reached 19.7 C on Monday, the highest temperature there of this current warm spell, but not a record. It’s also forecast to reach 19 C today.

Penticton is only expected to reach 17 C today.

Today should see a mix of sun and cloud with temperatures dropping to 15 C Wednesday and down to 8 C on the weekend in Kamloops with a 30% chance of showers starting Wednesday evening.

The Okanagan is also expected to cool to 15 C Wednesday and gradually cool to a high of  7 C by Saturday with a 40% chance of showers starting Wednesday evening.

While meteorologists count March 1 as the first day of spring, that actually officially happens at 8:06 p.m. today with the vernal equinox.

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