Get the Top, Local stories delivered to your inbox! Click here to join the daily Vernon Matters newsletter.

Snow Done; Colder Air Moves In

Dec 20, 2017 | 1:11 PM

Snowfall amounts from the past 24 hours varied widely around the Okanagan — depending on where you live.

“In the Central and North Okanagan and up into the Shuswap, it was pretty consistent that down at low elevations near the lake level, we probably got 4 or 5 centimetres, and once you moved away from the lake and over higher terrain, it was probably like 15 cm’s,” says Doug Lundquist from Environment Canada.

Lundquist says even higher elevations like Big White and the Pennask Summit got 30 to 40 cm’s.

He says areas near the lakes get less snow because it’s warmer, and the snow came down mixed with rain.

“The temperature was so close to zero yesterday, so the lake is still warm, it’s probably at least 4 degrees, so the nearer to the lake you are, the warmer it was, more  melting of the snow and that compacted it, so basically what came down, came down as really heavy wet snow near the lake,” Lundquist tells Beach Radio News.

Colder weather has now moved into the region.

“The cold air we’re getting was developed in BC over the Central Interior, so it’s not super duper cold, but cold enough that we’re going to perhaps push double digit lows over the weekend.”

Lundquist says the snow will stick around.

“That’s one piece of good news is that we’re guaranteed a white Christmas, and any flurries we do get over the next while will probably be light enough that it won’t impact us travelling.”