(STEVE ARSTAD / iNFOnews.ca)
December 24, 2015 - 9:44 AM
OKANAGAN - You’re in luck if you dreamed of a white Christmas, but expect slightly cooler temperatures to go along with it.
Enough snow has fallen this month to give much of the Okanagan a white Christmas, something that has only a 50 per cent chance of happening in Kelowna and only a 20 per cent chance of occurring in Penticton in recent years, according to Environment Canada.
Mother Nature is planning a bit more snow for the region this morning as well, with the clouds expected to clear for Christmas Day. The clouds will return Sunday through early next week though.
The weather office is calling for temperatures to be on par with seasonal normals today, Dec. 24, with a high of 0 Celsius to -1 C and a low of -4 to -6 C in the forecast. Temperatures are expected to reach between -1 C and -3 C Christmas Day before dipping to an overnight low of -10 C. The mercury is expected to reach a high of just -4 C throughout the region Sunday and -3 C Monday.
If you are hitting the highways the typical winter conditions are in force, with Drive B.C. reporting compact snow, slippery sections and slushy sections on highways throughout the region.
More than 10 cm of snow fell overnight at the Coquihalla Summit, with periods of snow expected to end this afternoon, while periods of snow will end at the Pennask Summit this morning, with a chance of snow persisting this afternoon. There is also a chance of snow at Helmer Lake on the Coquihalla Highway north of Merritt and flurries are expected along Highway 1 from Rogers Pass to Eagle Pass today as well.
A vehicle incident near the Alberta-B.C. border this morning has reduced traffic to single lane alternating traffic with delays of less than an hour expected.
If some backcountry playtime is in the cards for the Christmas weekend, expect low to moderate risk of avalanche in much of the Interior, according to Avalanche Canada.
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.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015