Expect water parks and beaches to be busy this weekend as a couple days of intense heat welcome the official start of summer.
(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)
June 17, 2014 - 2:26 PM
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Saturday is the official start of summer and so far Mother Nature looks like she will cooperate in allowing us to celebrate in style.
Highs of 28-29 C are forecast across the region for Saturday and by Monday we should be seeing highs of 32 C or 33 C.
Meteorologist David Jones says once we get rid of the system ‘clobbering’ Alberta and the southeast corner of B.C. a ridge will begin to build, bringing warmer and drier air to the Interior.
“The temperatures will really be pleasant and then towards the weekend a big ridge is building and will bring up some warmer air,” Jones says. “We will be high and dry for a bit.”
Jones says all the models are pretty consistent for the weekend and people looking forward to celebrating summer with some sunshine should remember to take note of UV ratings and take precautions such as using sunscreen and drinking fluids.
“It is safe to say it will be dry and gradually warming up,” he notes. “With the return to sunshine people may be caught off guard. It is a good time to remind them to stay safe.”
The weather is a bit unstable in the Southern Interior today, which could bring some rain, though for the most part the Thompson-Okanagan region should see a mix of sun and cloud and highs reaching seasonal normals of 24-25 C.
Highs of normal to just above normal are expected the rest of the week along with a mix of sun and cloud. By the weekend we will see lots of sun and temperatures jumping to above 30 C. While we can expect heat, and lots of it, we are not expected to break any records. Record highs at this time of year range from 36-39 C.
Jones warns if you are travelling to Alberta to take care as parts of the province are expect to get walloped with 100-160 mm of rain over the next couple of days. He says the rain will likely bring more flooding almost a year to the day after major floods inundated much of southwestern Alberta.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Jennifer Stahn at jstahn@infotelnews.ca or call 250-819-3723. To contact an editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014