FILE PHOTO.

(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)

A forecast mild La Nina this winter typically means colder than normal temperatures, but it has been balmy in Kamloops and the Okanagan so far.

The forecast is calling for a mild January as well, but Environment Canada’s meteorologist Armel Castellan said Kamloops and the Okanagan could still see a cold snap before winter is over.

“It's been relatively warm, and that kind of continues here for the next week or 10 days,” he said. “We don't want to cancel winter yet, because we still know that there's still very much a chance of seeing some colds before we get to spring.”

AccuWeather is predicting Kelowna, Vernon, Penticton and Kamloops will have highs above zero degrees Celsius until around Jan. 18.

Castellan said La Nina brings colder weather patterns from the ocean, and usually brings the coldest temperatures later in the winter and early spring. Since this year is a mild La Niña it’s more difficult to predict.

“Essentially all bets are off,” he said. “If we think about the last four or five years, some of the coldest temperatures have occurred in February, so it's too early to really see.”

Last year’s cold snap had a major impact on agriculture in the Okanagan, particularly grapes and stone fruit, and Castellan said this year’s warm winter with another potential cold snap could have a similar effect.

READ MORE: Okanagan, Kamloops ski hill conditions looking good heading into new year

“December and early January had been so warm that. . .when the cold did hit, it was even more dramatic to plant biology than it would have been had winter been fairly normal,” he said.

Castellan said there has been a huge range of precipitation throughout B.C. this winter. In the Lower Mainland places like Vancouver are seeing record rainfall, while Kelowna and Vernon are on the drier end of the spectrum.

Kelowna has seen 83 per cent of its typical rain and snowfall, while Vernon has only seen 63 per cent.

Castellan said it isn’t a dramatic lack of precipitation, but it isn’t enough to get the region out of its years-long drought.

In December, Vernon had 31 millimetres of precipitation, Penticton had 23 mm, Kelowna had 26 mm and Kamloops had 24 mm. Vancouver on the other hand had 194 mm of precipitation.

Although it may seem warm and dry at lower elevations in the B.C. Interior, Castellan wants people to remember mountain pass highways like the Coquihalla Highway and Okanagan Connector can still be dangerous.

“We just really want folks to avoid becoming a statistic out there, and just making sure they're prepared, and making good decisions at the right appropriate time,” he said.

Click here for Environment Canada's traveller's forecast.

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