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By Liam Verster

Drought Conditions

Okanagan drought level holds steady despite hot, dry weather

Aug 14, 2025 | 10:06 AM

Drought conditions in the Okanagan have remained on the low end of the provincial severity scale.

The B.C. River Forecast Centre ranked the region at Drought Level 1 for the third straight week Thursday, August 14. Level 1 indicates that conditions are abnormally dry, but not considered severe.

The rating being held came following a week that saw minimal precipitation, with just 0.8 millimetres of rain falling over the previous seven days in Vernon, and 0.2mm in Kelowna.

It also came after a relatively hot week with an average daytime high of 30.4 °C in Vernon and 30.6 °C in Kelowna. The hottest day of the seven day period was August 12, when the mercury rose to 34.7 °C in Vernon and 35.1 °C in Kelowna.

Though the rating held steady on a weekly basis, the River Forecast Centre did state that “flows in some Okanagan basin tributaries that are not supported by reservoir releases are declining to levels of risk to aquatic ecosystems,” but also noted there could be cooler, wetter weather in the Okanagan and much of B.C. over the weekend.

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Meanwhile, the regions surrounding the Okanagan were a mix of wet to very dry.

The Similkameen was ranked at Drought Level 4, the second highest designation, for the fifth consecutive week Thursday. The Bridge area was also at Level 3 for the sixth week in a row.

However, the North Thompson held steady at Level 1 for the fourth straight week, while the South and Lower Thompson regions saw their ratings fall to Level 0, indicating no drought in those areas.

Of all the regions within B.C., 13 of them, or approximately 44 per cent of the province’s area, was ranked at Level 0. There were 10 basins at Level 1 and another 10 at Level 2 Thursday, with six ranked at Level 3. The only area ranked at Level 4 Thursday was the Similkameen, with no basins designated at the highest drought severity ranking of Level 5.

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