Stock photo courtesy of the City of Kelowna

By Liam Verster

Drought Level 2

Drought conditions at Level 2 for third straight week

Sep 19, 2024 | 12:14 PM

The Okanagan’s drought rating remained at the lower end of the scale for another week.

The Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship said the Okanagan was at Drought Level 2 Thursday, Sept. 19, marking the third week under that designation.

Under Level 2, conditions are unlikely to negatively impact socio-economic and ecosystem values, though people are still advised to follow water restrictions and conserve water when possible.

The rating was unchanged as the region has seen cooler, wetter weather recently. Environment Canada said Vernon saw 3.4 millimetres of precipitation and an average mean temperature of 15.9°C over the seven days leading up to the drought report.

Kelowna saw 3.6 mm of precipitation and an average temperature of 15.2°C during that period, while Penticton saw 2.9 mm of rain with an average mean temperature of 16.5°C.

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While the Okanagan’s drought conditions were unchanged on a weekly basis, the South Thompson and Similkameen areas did see their ratings drop to Level 1 Thursday.

The North and Lower Thompson areas were unchanged at Level 2, while the Nicola area was ranked at Drought Level 4 for the sixth straight week. Under Level 4, the second highest drought rating, adverse impacts due to conditions are likely.

The Upper Columbia region was ranked at level 0, the lowest possible drought rating, for the fourth straight week Thursday. It was one of only two areas at that drought ranking, with the other being the Northwest region.

As of Thursday there were five regions ranked at Level 5, the highest drought rating. Those were the Upper Fraser West, Bulkley-Lakes, South Peace, East Peace, and Fort Nelson areas.

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