Thermostat/Stock Images (Image Credit: Vernon Matters Staff)

By Vernon Matters Staff

Shattering Records

Interior sees unseasonably warm temperatures, several records broken

Mar 19, 2026 | 10:31 AM

While the Central Okanagan didn’t see any temperature records Wednesday, much of B.C.’s Interior experienced an early spring heat wave, with seven communities breaking daily highs.

Environment Canada reported Thursday that Osoyoos recorded the highest temperature at 22.7 C, surpassing last year’s March 18 mark of 22 C.

Closest to the Central Okanagan was Summerland which set a new high of 20.8 C, surpassing its 1930 record of 20 C. Kamloops reached 21.8 C, breaking a 116-year-old record of 21.1 C set in 1910, and Salmon Arm topped out at 21.7 C, surpassing a century-old record of 16.7 C set in 1915.

In the Cariboo, Quesnel reached 18.6 C, eclipsing a 125-year-old record of 17.2 C, and Williams Lake hit 17 C, surpassing last year’s 15.9 C. Prince George recorded 14.8 C, breaking the previous year’s 13.9 C.

Environment Canada noted that this early-season warmth is unusual, highlighting the growing variability of spring temperatures in B.C.’s Interior.

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