Local drought conditions remain at the lower end of the scale

Sep 12, 2024 | 11:36 AM

The Okanagan was ranked as Drought Level 2 for the second week in a row.

The update from the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship for Thursday, Sept. 11, indicated that it would be unlikely that conditions would have adverse impacts on socio-economic or ecosystem values.

It was still recommended that people follow all local water restrictions.

The drought rating was unchanged on a weekly basis as cooler weather had started to move into the Okanagan.

In the seven days leading up to the ranking being release, Environment Canada reported the average mean temperature over those seven days in Vernon was 19.8°C. In Kelowna, the average mean temperature during the week was 18.2°C, and in Penticton it was 19.1°C.

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There was no precipitation recorded in Vernon or Kelowna over the previous seven days, and Penticton saw a total of just 0.6 millimetres of rainfall.

As of Thursday, the Similkameen and Lower, South and North Thompson regions were also ranked Drought Level 2. The Nicola area was at Level 4 for the fifth straight week, indicating adverse impacts due to conditions were likely.

The northeast corner of the province remained very dry, with the Fort Nelson, East Peace and South Peace areas all ranked at Drought Level 5 Thursday, the highest possible rating. The Bulkley-Lakes and Upper Fraser East regions were also under the Level 5 designation.

The only areas ranked at Level 0, the lowest drought rating in B.C., were the Upper Columbia and the Northwest regions.

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by Liam Verster

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