Looking forward to a white Christmas? Keep dreaming.
Environment Canada meteorologist Carmen Hartt said the end is in sight to the mild weather Kelowna’s been experiencing.
“It’s been really mild for the past 10 days, and that may break this weekend and it will go back to normal temperatures,” said Hartt.
That means that daytime highs will reach about -1 C and the lows will fall to -6 C, but that’s the biggest change to come.
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“There are no systems coming with that to bring the precipitation we need for a white Christmas,” she said.
That said, it may still look festive.
“Officially a white Christmas for (meteorologists) is two centimetres on the ground — and that may be hard to reach at this time, but there may be a dusting, which is an unofficial white Christmas,” she said.
While the weather data is not working in favour of snow lovers, the odds are.
“Over the past 63 years, it’s been a White Christmas 60 per cent of the time,” she said.
For people like Brad Parkinson, a UBC student was enjoying the sunny day on the Stuart Park ice rink with some friends Tuesday, snow would be the best option.
“I’m hoping for a white Christmas, with the snow and then some sun, too,” Parkinson said. “It makes me happy, and it’s really cool to see and reminds me of when I was a kid.”
While the valley bottom may stay a bit less snowy than expected, the mountains are getting their fair share.
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The Coquihalla was the subject of a winter storm warning on Tuesday, due to a moving Pacific frontal system. In its wake, a strong southwest flow sent waves of moisture across the Coast Mountains.
Storm accumulations into the 40 to 50 cm range were expected to fall and the storm is expected to ease today.