A series of potentially severe thunderstorms are expected to roll through the Okanagan valley today, followed by a cold front just in time for the weekend.

(STEVE ARSTAD / iNFOnews.ca)

Okanagan residents should be prepared for another day of active weather as Environment Canada has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the entire valley this morning.

Environment Canada meteorologist Doug Lundquist says there’s less of a threat in Kamloops for severe weather today, but an incoming cold front tonight is expected to drop temperatures and spread showers across both regions over the weekend.

Lundquist says today’s southerly flow is bringing multiple storm cells up from the south, along the Cascade mountains in Washington and into the Okanagan valley towards Revelstoke.

“It’s why I call it monsoon season," Lundquist said. "In winter, the jet stream brings most of our weather in a westerly flow, but in spring, heating of the continent produces a default ridge of high pressure from Alaska down through British Columbia,” Lundquist says.

"The result is low pressure zones in the Pacific become more closed, and an upper level low can swing the airflow enough that it comes from the east or southeast, eliminating the rain shadow effect produced by mountains to the west of us,”  he says.

Lundquist says today’s weather has the ingredients to produce highly localized, severe weather with heavy rain, hail and lightning.

Today in the Okanagan, expect showers with thunderstorms along with the risk of a severe thunderstorm this afternoon.

Today’s high should reach 23 Celsius with a low tonight of 12 C as showers ease to 40 per cent overnight.

With the arrival of that cold front overnight, periods of rain are expected for Saturday, with a high reaching only 14 C.

Another 10 to 20 mm  of rain is anticipated. Some areas could see 20 to 40 cm over the next few days.

Sunday should be cloudy with a 60 per cent chance of showers, a high of 14 C and a low of 7 C.

More clouds are in the forecast for Monday with a 40 per cent chance of showers continuing overnight.

Monday’s high should reach 13 C with a low of 9 C.

Lundquist says there’s the possibility of more sun and some warmer temperatures into next week, with the forecast for Thursday calling for a mix of sun and cloud and a high of 24 C.

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