With near-record temperatures this week Neven Vincent, 9, of Vernon enjoys playing in the park outside the Vernon Museum and Archives.

(CHARLOTTE HELSTON / iNFOnews.ca)

OKANAGAN - For the second day in a row record temperatures were just out of reach, but we’ll get one more chance at it today before temperatures cool off just slightly over the weekend.

A high of 20.8 Celsius was recorded in Vernon yesterday, March 31, just shy of the 21 C recorded by Environment Canada in 1994. Kelowna hit 20.3 C yesterday, below the 21.5 C record set in 1994, while Penticton only got up to 17.8 C, well below the 20.1 C record set in 1991.

The record high for April 1 is 22 C in Vernon, 21.5 C in Kelowna and 20.6 C in Penticton. With a high of 21 C in the forecast across the region we could be get within striking distance of a new record by the end of the day.

Temperatures will then cool off slightly Saturday, with a high of 19 C being forecast across the valley, and will continue to decline by a couple more degrees through to Monday. The normal seasonal high for this time of year is 13 C.

Overnight temperatures should also be above normal, with the weather office calling for lows of 2 C to 7 C over the weekend. The normal seasonal low if 2 C.

Along with above normal temperatures will be sunny skies today followed by increasing cloud Saturday and a mix of sun and cloud Sunday. Next week is expected to kick off with cloud and a chance of showers.

The warm temperatures will also make their way to the ski hills, where a high of 10 C is expected at Big White today and a high of 11 C at Silver Star. Temperatures will drop slightly over the rest of the weekend, ending with a high near 5 C on Sunday. Sun will grace each day, though the forecast calls for a mix of sun and cloud Saturday and Sunday along with a chance of flurries Saturday. Sunday is the final ski day of the season at Silver Star. Big White has one more weekend left in the season.

Record temperatures were set at about two dozen weather stations across B.C. again yesterday, though most were outside of the Southern Interior. At 18.2 C Blue River just barely set a new record and Vernon was just shy with a high of 20.8 C yesterday.

Watch for avalanche control on Highway 1 from Glacier National Park to the Alberta border this afternoon. Avalanche Canada has also issued a warning due to the warm temperatures making snowpacks unstable across Western Canada.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Jennifer Stahn or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. 

News from © iNFOnews, 2016