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44 days without rain

The Okanagan is about to tie the record for the number of days without precipitation.
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If the rain doesn’t fall by midnight tonight Kelowna will hit the previous record of number of days without precipitation.

Back in 2003 Environment Canada recorded 44 days straight without rain for Kelowna from June 23 to August 5.

According to Cindy Yu Kelowna is currently sitting at the 44th day without any precipitation matching the 2003 record.

“If we don’t have any rain by midnight tonight we will tie that record of 44 days,” she said. “If we don’t have any precipitation by midnight tomorrow we will be breaking that 2003 record.”

However the forecast is calling for a risk of thunderstorms Saturday afternoon with a chance of showers. A cold front is also possibly moving into the region, with temperatures dipping down to the low 20’s C on Sunday.

“I think we will tie with the record of 44 days without precipitation but not break the record,” explained Yu.

The record is about to be broken in Vernon where there has been no measurable precipitation for 43 days — the current record.

If no rain falls tonight in Vernon the record will be broken for the most days without precipitation since 1908. Back in 1908 no rain fell from November 17 to December 29.

To the south in Penticton, residents there haven’t seen any measurable precipitation for 44 days; however the record for the Penticton area is 50 days without rain set in 1957.

In this case not a whole lot of precipitation is expected possibly up to 5 milimetres during the cold front that is forcast for the coming days.

Yu said with the risk of the thunderstorm there is a higher likelyhood of showers falling in the Okanagan Valley, but regardless Environment Canada believes the month of August will be below normal for the amount of precipitation to fall during the month.

The start of next week is forecast to be cloudy with periods of showers and highs between 23 and 25 C.

This change in the weather pattern could help push some of the smoke out of the valley.

“It will be tough to determine if the smoke will actually move out of the valley during this cold front,” said Yu. “But, the forecasted winds from the south could make for some improvement in visibility.

She noted that with the fires still burning around the province the air quality is still anticipated to be poor.



Jen Zielinski

About the Author: Jen Zielinski

Graduated from the broadcast journalism program at BCIT. Also holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science and sociology from Thompson Rivers University.
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