Kelowna records 2nd wettest March on record – Okanagan | Globalnews.ca
Residents in the Central Okanagan are about to see a change in the weather forecast, as the outlook for the coming days calls for plenty of sunshine and warm temperatures, up to 19 C by the weekend.
“Break out the shorts and sweatpants,” said Kelowna resident Tony Tingley. “That sounds all good to me.”
The dry and warm forecast is welcome, especially after a very wet March.
“It was the second wettest March ever recorded in the Central Okanagan,” said Global News meteorologist Peter Quinlan.
According to Environment Canada, the average precipitation amount for March is 21.6 mm.
However, last month Kelowna recorded more than double that — 49.5 mm — and much of that came down in only two days.
On March 13, Kelowna received 20.5 mm of precipitation and 11.8 mm on March 23.
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“It is fairly rare to have these substantial rain events that happen on just one or two days that amount for the majority of a month’s worth of precipitation,” Quinlan said.
“Typically we will see it a little more spread out.”
The precipitation is a critical factor when it comes to he severity of forest fires and the kind of wildfire season the Okanagan may be in for.
According to the BC Wildfire Service, the intensity of the fire season is very dependent on precipitation levels and drying patterns over the spring and summer.
BC Wildfire added that “long-term weather forecasts currently indicate a warmer-than-normal and wet trend heading into the spring, which could benefit spring conditions.”
BC’s River Forecast Centre calls the above-normal rainfall a positive start but said it is too early to tell how things will unfold.
“There’s a lot spring still to go. We’re really just at the start of spring freshet, which is that melt of the seasonal snowpack,” said Natasha Cowie, a hydrologist with the River Forecast Centre.
“How that actually plays out over the coming weeks, how quickly that snow melts, will also dictate a lot of how we’re set up for conditions coming into the summer.”
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