After the summer weather extended into the fall months this year, winter is fast approaching in BC’s interior. Up to five centimeters of wet snow is forecast to fall over the Okanagan Valley and Kamloops Thursday afternoon and into the evening, with overnight lows expected to hover around freezing. And even more are expected on high-elevation highways like the Coquihalla and the Okanagan Connector. “It’s likely to be snow mixed with rain depending on how warm it gets, but don’t be surprised if we get some accumulation on the road,” said Environment Canada meteorologist Derek Lee. Thursday’s precipitation in the Thompson-Okanagan will likely start as rain, changing to snow later in the afternoon. Between two and four centimeters of snow is forecast across the Okanagan, with two to five centimeters predicted for Kamloops. On higher elevation highways and local ski resorts, Lee says up to 6 inches of snow could fall. However, while snow is expected on Thursday, temperatures are expected to rise significantly on Friday, with a forecast high of 10C. “The atmospheric river is coming from the Pacific and you’re going to see that transition of warm air for Friday,” he said. “Whatever snow falls [Thursday] it will be a one-day problem for now, and after Friday it will probably all melt away.” Warming will likely bring the frost level to the top of local mountain roads. “It’s going to be a mixed bag. You might see it change to rain in some places or at least wet snow,” Lee said. “Conditions may not be the best for travel.” However, an arctic air mass is expected to move into the region over the weekend, bringing temperatures down next week. “By Monday, temperatures drop into the negative for the high of the day, so a nice major change in the air mass,” Lee said. “On Monday and beyond, any precipitation that falls will likely be flurry and likely to last because temperatures will be below or near freezing for most of the week.” While Lee said no widespread snowstorms are expected next week, the area could see some isolated flurries.
