April followed March's weather trend with less rain than normal in Kamloops and the Okanagan.

(STEVE ARSTAD / iNFOnews.ca)

April continued a 2021 weather trend finishing drier than normal in Kamloops and the Okanagan.

Environment Canada meteorologist Doug Lundquist says Kelowna placed fourth for the driest April on record with seven millimetres of precipitation compared to the 29 mm that normally falls.

Kamloops received four mm compared to 14 mm that falls in an average April. Vernon’s April precipitation was the sixth driest on record, with six mm falling compared to the 28 mm that normally falls. Penticton was the wettest with 16 mm recorded in a month where it normally sees 26 mm of precipitation fall.

“Penticton did get those showers at the end of the month, otherwise it would have been way less precipitation in that city as well,” Lundquist says.

Temperature-wise Kamloops and the Okanagan were slightly warmer in April than usual with Kelowna 0.8 degrees above average, (making April the fourth warmest for the city). Vernon also saw temperatures 0.8 degrees above normal for the month, while Penticton was 0.5 degrees above average. Kamloops was just slightly above normal at 0.1 degree above normal for the month.

For May, Lundquist says it appears we could see warmer than average temperatures through the end of the month and into June, but the next week or two will likely see temperatures trending at or below seasonal norms.

“The flow pattern setting up right now hints of an early start to the wet season, as May and June tend to be the wettest months in the Thompson and Okanagan," Lundquist says.

This week, Kamloops and the Okanagan should see temperatures peaking around 20 Celsius by mid-week, with a chance of showers for Kamloops and the Okanagan today, May 3, and Thursday.

The rest of the week should see a mix of sun and cloud with temperatures in the mid to high teens.

Kamloops’s normal daily high and low for early May is 20 C and 6 C. In Vernon, Kelowna and Penticton, early May highs and lows are 18 C and 5 C.

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