(STEVE ARSTAD / iNFOnews.ca)

It may be April but the outdoor tool of choice tomorrow might be a snow shovel rather than a hoe in the Okanagan with up to two centimetres of snow expected.

April is off to a cool start in the valley as evidenced by the forecast snow, and a tie for the lowest temperature ever recorded in Kelowna yesterday, April 1.

Environment Canada meteorologist Bobby Sekhon says last night the mercury dipped to -7.8 Celsius in Kelowna which tied the record low temperature for the day also recorded in 1936 and in 2002. Other Okanagan cities came within a degree or two of record lows last night.

Sekhon says the cold pattern will continue until next week, when a brief warming trend is expected. However, he says a fluctuating weather pattern is indicated for April with cooler conditions expected to return in time for next weekend.

Today, April 2, Vernon and Kelowna should see a mix of sun and cloud with southwest winds at 20 km/h. Today’s high should reach 6 C with a low of -3 C, accompanied overnight by a 40 per cent chance of flurries in Vernon and Kelowna.

Penticton should see increasing cloudiness today with a 40 per cent chance of flurries late this afternoon and winds south at 20 km/h.

Periods of snow with accumulations up to two cm are expected overnight, with today’s high reaching 8 C in Penticton followed by a low tonight of -2 C.

Friday should see mainly cloudy conditions in Vernon and Kelowna, along with a 40 per cent chance of flurries in the morning, turning to rain by noon.

Vernon and Kelowna could see two cm of snow, accompanied by southwest winds at 20 km/h, gusting to 40 near noon.

Friday’s high is expected to only reach 6 C, with an overnight low of -8 C.

Penticton should see mainly cloudy skies Friday with a 30 per cent chance of flurries changing to a 70 per cent chance of showers or flurries around noon. Penticton's high should reach 6 C with a low of -8 C overnight.

The weekend is expected to be a mix of sun and cloud on Saturday with a high of 6 C, with cloudy skies and a high of 8 C on Sunday.

Temperatures are on the rebound to start next week, with a high of 10 C under sunny skies and a mix of sun and clouds on Tuesday and Wednesday, with highs of 15 C and 16 C respectively.

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