With 11 days still to go before the official start of summer, the Okanagan is already sweltering through an early-season heat wave — and forecasters warn there’s more to come.
Environment Canada has issued a heat warning after four straight days of temperatures above 30 C.
Officials say the sudden jump in temperatures is especially concerning because people haven’t had time to adjust.
“We haven’t had time to acclimatize to the heat yet,” said Environment Canada scientist Christy Climenhaga. “So it can be very notable and it can be dangerous.”
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In Kelowna, the seasonal average is about 23 C during the day and 9 C at night. Right now, temperatures are running roughly 10 degrees above normal.
While Kelowna isn’t currently under a heat alert, the city has plans in place, should conditions worsen.
“If it hits 35 C for two or more days, we move into a heat alert,” said City of Kelowna Risk Manager Lance Kayfish.
“At that point, we activate extra measures, including free transit so people can get to a place to cool down.”
If the extreme heat continues, the city will escalate its response. “That includes opening four cooling centres across the community,” Kayfish added.
Adding to the concern, much of the province — including the Okanagan — is experiencing below-average rainfall. The BC Wildfire Service says conditions are already dry and could worsen without significant rain.
“We’d need multiple days with 20 to 30 millimetres of rain,” said Neal McLoughlin of BC Wildfire Service.
“That’s just not in the forecast right now. So in areas already facing drought, we expect fire activity to be at its greatest.”
A cooldown is expected midweek, but Environment Canada says the rest of the summer will likely bring warmer-than-normal conditions.
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