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(KIM ANDERSON / iNFOnews.ca)

The next few days offer a chance for Kamloops residents to enjoy a bit of early spring weather, which begins in an astronomical sense today.

Spring arrives at 8:49 p.m. today, March 19, the earliest astronomical spring in 124 years.

"Whenever we have a leap year, the astronomical date jumps back three quarters of a day,” Environment Canada meteorologist Doug Lundquist says. "It has nothing to do with meteorology, as we consider the first day of spring to be March 1, but it is the day when the sun crosses the equator and, relatively speaking, night equals day."

The last couple of weeks of slightly cooler temperatures should continue for the next few days, Lundquist says, with cooler nights and daytime highs slightly above or below seasonal norms.

“We’re in a spring pattern, but over the next week or two it should remain a little above or below average, pretty typical for this time of year,” he says.

Lundquist says any overnight precipitation could bring showers or flurries.

“It’s good to get outside if we can and get some sunlight, with a reminder the sun is strong enough to cause sunburn already,” Lundquist says. "Vitamin D is something proven to be healthy to people, so my message is to get outside if you can while maintaining social distancing.”

There is sunshine in the forecast for today through Sunday, with the possibility of periods of rain on Saturday night.

The high today should reach 11 Celsius, with highs of 14 C and 13 C Friday and Saturday, and lows of -1 C and 0 C.

Sunday’s sunshine comes with a slight cool down with a high of 10 C and a low of 0 C expected, along with a 40 per cent chance of showers or flurries overnight.

A disturbance crossing the region brings with it a 40 per cent chance of flurries or showers on Monday, with a 40 per cent chance continuing Monday night, dropping to 30 per cent on Tuesday.

The sun is expected to return Wednesday with a high of 13 C.

Kamloops's normal high and low for this time of year is 12 C and 0 C.

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