Vernon has had its fair share of snow already, but its not out of the woods yet.
Environment Canada is calling for 2-4 centimetres of snow later tonight, beginning after midnight, and it’s expected to continue through early Saturday afternoon. The mercury is expected to fall to around -12 Celsius Friday night.
Five centimetres of the white stuff is expected on Saturday with a wind chill that feels like -17 C. That’s expected to warm to around -12 C by afternoon.
Sunday’s forecast calls for a 60 per cent chance of flurries and that threat lingers through until mid-week next week.
The Regional District of North Okanagan has compiled some safety tips for residents to better prepare for winter storms.
The RDNO reminds residents to have handy a preparedness kit that contains extra water, non-perishable food items, a flashlight, wind-up radio, extra batteries, a first aid kit, cash, necessary medications and health-related items and your family’s emergency plan. More details on what kits should contain can be found at Canada.ca.
The district also said it’s important to know what to do in case the power goes out, and how to shovel snow like a pro.
The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety said loading a shovel (weighing over one kilogram) with five kgs of snow every five seconds — which is the average — a snow shoveller will move over 70 kgs in just one minute.
After 15 minutes of work, that’s around 1,000 kgs of snow.
“This effort is hard on the heart and back,” CCOHS said. “Use of a snow blower may be another option, but these machines require some effort as well.”
CCOHS recommends checking with a doctor, as with any exercise, to deem if you are physically fit. Other options would be hiring a neighbour or contractor to do the snow removal on your behalf. Doing it yourself? Warm-ups, flexing and stretching exercises will help loosen up the muscles to prepare for the work ahead, the organization said.
Be sure proper winter-weather attire is being worn while out in the elements. Several layers of warm, lightweight clothing is best as once sweat begins to pour, layers can be removed or added as needed.
For up to date information on the weather and road conditions, visit Environment Canada and DriveBC.
READ MORE: Ditched vehicle off highway sends Vernon crews on multiple calls
READ MORE: Kids across Canada more at risk of hospitalization from flu this season: doctor
@caitleerachCaitlin.clow@vernonmorningstar.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
