Arctic air to bring snow and abnormal cold temperatures to Kamloops starting Friday night: Environment Canada

Dec 15, 2022 | 11:38 AM

KAMLOOPS — Somewhat mild temperatures and stretches of sun and cloud are not long for Kamloops.

According to Environment Canada, cold arctic air is going to push into the Southern Interior starting Friday (Dec. 16) night, including Kamloops and area.

Meteorologist Trevor Smith says the arctic air is expected to bring snow Friday and Saturday (Dec. 17).

“It’s a little bit too early to talk about amounts but certainly a few centimetres, is possible, down in the valley bottoms,” Smith told CFJC Today. “Probably more falling up in the mountain passes. On Saturday, we’ll see daytime highs of only minus seven but we’re going to have windchill values probably much colder than that as the cold west wind pushes that arctic air into Kamloops.”

Starting Saturday, Smith says Kamloops is likely in store for its coldest stretch of the fall. Overnight lows are expected to hover in the minus 17 to minus 20 range from Saturday until Monday (Dec. 19), potentially Tuesday (Dec. 20). The average temperatures for Kamloops during this period are a high of zero and a low of minus six.

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In the meantime, Kamloops residents are encouraged to stay warm and put on their winter tires if they haven’t, as Smith says the region could be feeling the effects of the arctic air into late next week.

“The pacific air is going to start to push into the southern part of the province around Wednesday (Dec. 21) of next week,” Smith says. “Wednesday to Friday look particularly messy for travelling in the Southern Interior as we transition from snow, probably to freezing rain, and then back into rain and temperatures rising back towards normal.”

While the temperatures are expected to be very cold, the good news is they’re a far cry away from the coldest Kamloops has been in December. According to Smith, the lowest temperature Kamloops experienced in December was minus 36.1 on Dec. 30, 1968.

by Aaron Schulze

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Arctic air to bring snow and abnormal cold temperatures to Kamloops starting Friday night: Environment Canada

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