(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)

Daytime temperatures in Kamloops and the Okanagan are forecast to reach as high as 10 Celsius today and tomorrow but there’s cold air coming in for the weekend.

Cold air will start moving in Saturday afternoon but that’s just the start of the chilly days ahead.

“There is a bit of an Arctic high coming down over B.C. that‘s going to be in place for Monday and Tuesday,” Environment Canada meteorologist Bobby Sekhon told iNFOnews.ca today, Feb. 17. “That’s going to be our coldest days of next week. Through the week, next week, we’re going to see temperatures gradually rise and rebound.”

He described the Arctic front as a “modified Arctic front” because the February sun has enough power to take some of the chill off, compared to what would be felt with a similar weather pattern in December or January.

READ MORE: Doug Lundquist does more than predict the weather – he helps save lives

Daytime highs for the weekend are forecast to be 4 C to 5 C with overnight lows Sunday hitting -5 C before dropping to -7 C to -8 C Monday and Tuesday. Daytime highs those days are likely to be just above freezing.

There’s also a chance of snow and/or rain on Saturday.

“The freezing levels themselves are going to be fairly low as we get into Saturday and Sunday,” Sekhon said. “It may start as rain and change to snow, depending on your elevation. When we get those fluctuations, that freeze thaw cycle, that can be tricky. If you’re travelling this weekend, get the latest forecasts at Drive B.C.”

The forecast for the Coquihalla Highway from Hope to Merritt calls for two to four centimetres of snow today with freezing levels rising to 1,000 metres this afternoon. There could be another two cm of snow tonight and flurries tomorrow.

READ MORE: Police remind drivers of reduced Coquihalla speed limits

For the other mountain routes, including Merritt to Kamloops, the Okanagan Connector and Hope to Princeton on Highway 3 there’s only a 40% chance of flurries this morning.

Heading east on Highway 1 from Eagle Pass to Rogers Pass there could be five cm of snow this morning changing to rain near noon with the snow level rising to 1,200 metres. The rain will likely change back to snow early this evening with five to 10 cm falling.

Alpine snow base at regional ski hills:

• 195 cm – Sun Peaks
• 163 cm – Silver Star
• 163 cm – Big White
• 162 cm – Apex

To contact a reporter for this story, email Rob Munro or call 250-808-0143 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. 

News from © iNFOnews, 2022