(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)
August 27, 2014 - 10:19 AM
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A severe thunderstorm watch issued this morning has been lifted for Kamloops, Vernon and the Shuswap.
Environment Canada issued the watch for nine different regions, include the North and South Thompson, the North Okanagan and the Shuswap, this morning. The watch extended north through the Cariboo and east to the Alberta border in some areas as well. Shortly after 7 p.m. the watch was lifted for the Okanagan and South Thompson, along with the Cariboo and 100 Mile House regions and by 8 p.m. the watch was also lifted for the Shuswap and North Thompson regions. Several regions closer to the Alberta border remain under a watch.
Andre Bisson with Environment Canada notes this type of weather is common at this time of year as moist air masses move over the region where warm air can hold the moisture in.
“They tend to be very localized,” he says of any storms. “It’s extremely difficult to predict where it will develop. But there is a chance, so (these watches) are more of a heads up.”
While this is the first watch issued this week there have been more than half a dozen watches issued over the past two weeks for the region. Bisson notes because we live in a dry belt our grounds cannot take a lot of rain which is why we see so many watches issued.
“It can cause localized flooding,” he notes. “In other areas we might not issue a watch because they’re not as sensitive.”
Much of the region is expecting rain heading into the long weekend, along with a chance of thunderstorms Thursday in Kamloops and Vernon.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Jennifer Stahn at jstahn@infonews.ca or call 250-819-3723. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
— This story was updated at 7:53 p.m., Aug. 27 when the watch was lifted for some regions.
— This story was updated at 8:03 p.m., Aug. 27 when the watch was lifted in more regions.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014