Stock photo of dry conditions at Kalamalka Provincial Park (ID 59301229 © Katyenka | Dreamstime.com)

By Liam Verster

Drought Conditions

Okanagan’s drought rating declines despite week of hot, dry weather

Jul 31, 2025 | 10:20 AM

The Okanagan has seen an unexpected drop to it’s drought rating.

The B.C. River Forecast Centre issued a drought rating of Level 1 to the area Thursday, July 31, down from Level 2 the previous week and from Level 3 the week before that.

The change in the rating came despite hotter, drier weather in the Okanagan.

Over the most recent reporting week, Vernon’s average daily high was 30.1 degrees, and Kelowna’s was 30.6. Those were up from the previous week’s average highs of 27 and 27.6 degrees, respectively.

There was also no precipitation recorded in either of these locations over the most recent week, whereas Vernon had 24.7 milimetres of rainfall the week before as Kelowna recorded 27.9 mm.

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The River Forecast Centre did state in it’s weekly report that “recent rainfall has led to improved drought conditions in parts of the northeast and southeast,” though added some of the rainfall was only “providing short-term drought relief” and that “long-term drought effects persist, particularly in the northeast.”

The weather forecast shows the Southern Interior is expecting widespread showers by Friday, and temperatures were also expected to start to decline again in the region around that same time.

Elsewhere in the region, the Similkameen area was ranked at Drought Level 4 for the thrid straight week. That rating is the second highest on the drought severity scale.

The Nicola area held steady at Level 2 for the second straight week, while the Lower and North Thompson were at Level 1 for their second consecutive week, and the South Thompson held firm at level 1 for the thrid straight week.

As of the latest update, the Simikameen area had the highest drought rating of any area within B.C.