It’s going to be a hot and sunny weekend, and Environment Canada meteorologist Carmen Hart is advising residents to keep cool.
Hartt said there is a ridge of high pressure that will continue to build up over the next few days in the Okanagan region, which means heat over the next few days.
“We’ll see temperatures near 30 C on Saturday and our hottest day, Sunday, we’ll see temperatures likely in the mid-30s for some areas,” she said.
“But on Monday, the pattern will shift a little bit. We’ll see a bit of cloud move in and a bit of an unstable air mass, so there could be an isolated shower or and even a risk of a thunderstorm on Monday and for the most part of the next work week.”
She said this type of weather pattern – a heatwave followed by showers – is typical, especially as the heat breaks down.
“You can almost feel the energy in the atmosphere and often when that heat ends, we do see a thunderstorm outbreak. So that’s what the outlook is for Monday.”
She added it also looks like there’ll be more mixed and unsettled weather for the rest of the month in the region.
“The rest of the month will bring us more sun and a mix of sun and clouds, and then those isolated instances of showers, which seems to be what’s on tap for the rest of next week,” she said.
Hartt said although there have been hot days this summer with averages of high 30s, the Okanagan won’t be breaking temperature records any time soon.
“We’ve seen days between 38 C and 40 C and the forecast is for mid-30s, so it looks like we’re not breaking any records but it does look like a significant heat. So the advice is just to keep cool, and enjoy.”
READ: COVID-19 outbreak at Okanagan Correctional Centre, involves 3 staff
