Long weekend temperatures expect to rise above 20 C in Okanagan, Kamloops

There continues to be a 30% to 40% chance of showers today, May 19, and through to Saturday in Kamloops and the Okanagan.

There’s a chance of winds up to 40 km/h and thundershowers this afternoon.

That is expected to moderate with more sunshine on Sunday and Monday but there’s still a slight chance of afternoon showers both those days, according to Environment Canada meteorologist Yimvi Lee.

Highs of 20 Celsius are forecast for Friday and Saturday, rising to 22 C for Sunday and Monday in Kamloops. That’s around the normal daytime high temperatures for this time of year.

The Okanagan will be a couple of degrees cooler.

“Looking at our models for the next 14 days, we are trending upwards,” Lee said. “I think, from Sunday into next week, it looks like it’s going to stay around 20 degrees so, more like seasonal temperatures.”

Snow fell along the Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt this morning, but has since changed to showers.

“It’s been pretty tough this spring,” Lee said. “We’ve had some systems coming through that melted the low level snow but, above, it is still snowing.”

The moderate temperatures over the next couple of weeks will help with a slow snow melt. That’s good news for those concerned about flooding since most snowpacks are above normal for this time of year.

The concern would be if it got above 25 C for four or five days and/or there is a lot of rain, Lee said.

That doesn’t look to be in the forecast anytime soon.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Rob Munro or call 250-808-0143 or email the editor. You can also submitphotos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.