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February heading to be coldest on record in Kelowna

Temperatures have been unusually cool this month
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Dean Martin and with his two border collies, Zoe (left) and Josie, didn’t mind the snow while playing catch in the dog park next to the Kelowna Family YMCA in Rutland Tuesday. (Carli Berry/Capital News)

February is shaping up to be a record breaker.

Since the start of the month, temperatures have consistently been 5 C to 10 C below normal, said Matt MacDonald, meteorologist with Environment Canada.

The coldest February on record in Kelowna had an average temperature of -7.8 C, which was set in 1975. This month the average is -8.3 C, although it may rise by month’s end.

It’s a sharp contrast from December’s and January’s temperatures, which were warmer than average. December was recorded as being the second warmest recorded.

READ MORE: Sunny day in Kelowna leads to record breaking temperature

“December and January were what we expected with an El Nino winter, with milder conditions, but there’s no guarantee with an El Nino,” MacDonald said.

“It’s the perfect example of how things can go sideways.”

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With a prolonged period of arctic air blowing across the province, March temperatures are expected to be warmer, but it’ll be a slow return to normal, he said.

“We won’t see balmy spring temperatures anytime soon.”

The rest of the province has also experienced cooler than average temperatures, with many places recording 2019 as in the top spots on record.

@carliberry_
carli.berry@kelownacapnews.com

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