(ROB MUNRO / iNFOnews.ca)

While summer will kick off with some nice weather, it's not going to last and the rest of summer looks to be cooler than normal for Kamloops and the Okanagan.

“We are seeing, finally, some temperatures forecast in the mid-20s for the next couple of days, which is nice for the Thompson-Okanagan area,” Environment Canada meteorologist Bobby Sekhon told iNFOnews.ca, May 31.

“That being said though, it’s not a completely super bluebird sunny clear type of ridge of high pressure. It is a bit on the weaker side so that’s going to allow a little bit of cloud to come in. It will keep the temperatures from getting too high.

That high pressure ridge is expected to break and give way to showers on the weekend.

That’s been typical of this May which has been a cool, dry month, Sekhon said. Normally, there’s at least one high pressure system that brings a few days of relatively hot sunshine to the region. That did not happen this year.

It’s too early to rank the month in terms of whether it’s the coldest May on record but, to show how unusual it was, Sekhon noted that Penticton averages 1.2 days every May with temperatures of 30 Celsius or above.

This year, it only made it to 23.5 C on May 25. That day was also the warmest of the month in Vernon at 22.5 C. Kamloops hit 24.9 C on May 30 while Kelowna’s high for the month was 22.8 on May 29.

Since June 1 is the meteorological start of summer, Environment Canada has posted its summer forecast.

They are predicting below normal temperatures, on average, over the summer, Sekhon said. That doesn’t mean there won’t be hot spells but it should be cooler than usual overall.

The models don’t forecast precipitation levels because that’s just too hard to gauge, he said.

Even the temperature forecast shows only a 50 to 60% likelihood of it actually being cooler than normal.

The Weather Network has also issued its summer forecast, which is calling for hot, stormy weather for much of Canada. That does not include the West, which will gradually warm to more normal temperatures by June.

READ MORE: Hot summer temperatures, big storms to sweep much of Canada, Weather Network predicts

All this is good for the upper elevation snowpack, which is melting slowly and, if there is no sudden heat wave, will continue to melt slowly.

It’s also good for gardeners, but not necessarily fruit growers.

“We’ve been hearing from a lot of British Columbians about the positive impact on the gardens and not needing to water as much,”  Sekhon said.

“It’s a fine balance. We’ve heard from the agricultural industry that some of the berry crops and some fruits are a few weeks behind. There are some mixed impacts, for sure.”

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