Tuesday’s winter blast in Penticton is one for the record books.
It was a day that featured 11.8 cm of snow in the city, an all-time record for a Dec. 20 day.
Daily snowfall data for Penticton goes back to 1907, according to Environment Canada. The city’s previous snowfall high was in 1970 when 8.9 cm of snow fell to the ground.
Penticton crews were at work as early as 4 a.m. on Tuesday, clearing the city’s main corridors, sidewalks and priority stairways of snow.
Along with the heavy snowfall, daytime temperatures dropped to -25 C with the windchill.
With a high of -16 C, the wind chill on Wednesday could drop temperatures to as low as -29 C.
“We’re still going to see a couple more days of really cold temperatures, and on Friday, there is some really hazardous weather heading towards (B.C.’s) Coast,” said Bobby Sekhon, a meteorologist at Environment Canada. “Anyone in the Interior who plans on heading towards the Coast needs to be aware of potential snowfall and long, freezing rain.”
Although still below zero, temperatures are expected to warm up in Penticton by Saturday, Dec. 24.
Per the current forecast, the city could hit temperatures as high as zero as early as Dec. 27.
READ MORE: B.C. communities shatter at least 15 record temperature lows amid stormy weather
