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‘We’ve kicked the worst of winter’: Heat records set across the Okanagan on Monday

Environment Canada says Summerland, Penticton, Vernon and Salmon Arm broke their own records
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Penticton, Summerland, Vernon and Salmon Arm recorded their warmest temperatures for the day of Feb. 7 in 2022. (Phil McLachlan - Western News) (Phil McLachlan - Western News File)

People living across the Okanagan were introduced to spring-like weather earlier than usual on Monday (Feb. 7).

Penticton, Summerland, Vernon and Salmon Arm all set records for their warmest Feb. 7 day ever, according to Environment Canada.

Temperatures in Penticton peaked at a high of 13.5 C on Monday, while Vernon (12 C) and Salmon Arm (12.9) shattered their previous heat records for the day of Feb. 7. Residents in Summerland, meanwhile, were treated to a high of 11.7 C.

“I would say there were a lot of records broken across B.C. yesterday,” said Doug Lundquist, a Kelowna-based meteorologist at Environment Canada. “The old record in Vernon (on Feb. 7) was 8.3 C.

“We could have another day like that later this week. It just depends on the timing of the system moving through and if there’s a lot of clouds or not.”

Lundquist projects Thursday (Feb. 10) to be another warmer than usual day in the Okanagan. With the current snowfall in Northern Washington, however, the meteorologist added that areas in the South Okanagan are most likely to get cold air, making cities like Kelowna and Vernon subject to warmer temperatures.

“It’s probably going to be much warmer than what we’re forecasting.”

Environment Canada officially recognizes the start of spring when the calendar flips to March.

That’s why Monday’s spring-like temperatures across the Okanagan got experts thinking about what’s to come once the seasons officially change.

“The next week or so is warm but the longer-range sneak-peak for spring is colder than average,” Lundquist said.

“Sometimes we’ll have a warm spell like this and then it will be cold in April.”

Kelowna recorded a high of 12 C on Monday, falling just short of setting an all-time record for the day of Feb. 7.

Even if the weather cools down considerably from now until the official start of spring, Lundquist noted that experiencing harsh winter conditions early in 2022 is a thing of the past.

“Once we hit Groundhog Day, there’s never six weeks of winter left in the Okanagan,” he said. “We can have a cold period, even into March, but they don’t last and they’re not as long.

“We’ve kicked the worst of winter.”

READ MORE: 2021 was Kelowna’s driest year ever: Environment Canada