Well Penticton, it might be time to pack away your winter jacket.
Tuesday, March 3 served as a reminder that spring is here and summer is around the corner.
Penticton’s weather reached a record high of 16.1 degrees Celsius, beating the previous record of 15.2 degrees set in 2005.
READ MORE: Expect mild temperatures for rest of winter in South Okanagan
By definition, spring starts March 1, but Environment Canada meteorologist Doug Lundquist said temperatures have been rising for a while. Just over a week ago he declared it officially spring.
Almost every day since the end of February temperatures in the area have reached into the double digits.
“To me that’s very spring like,” said Lundquist. “And I can’t see us going back now. Every five days we pick up about one degree in the daytime high, on average.”
He said the valley is currently in it’s accelerating period; the sun angle is going up quickly, and both day length and temperature are at their maximum change.
Although there may be a frosty night or two in the near future, Lunquist said temperatures should rise quickly come morning.
However, snow enthusiasts shouldn’t be dismayed by the balmy air, Lundquist said in the high terrain, spring is still months away.
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