(Image Credit: Kent Simmonds/CFJC Today)

By Victor Kaisar

Temperature Records

Century-old temperature records toppled in Kamloops, Salmon Arm as unseasonably warm weather lingers in B.C.

Mar 19, 2026 | 1:19 PM

KAMLOOPS — The ongoing atmospheric river that is soaking parts of coastal British Columbia is also bringing unseasonable warmth to communities in the Kamloops-area, where a pair of century-old records were toppled on Wednesday (March 19).

Data from Environment Canada shows Kamloops reached a high of 21.8 C, breaking the 116-year-old record of 21.1 C set in 1910, with records going back to 1890. In Salmon Arm, the mercury topped out at 21.7 C, breaking the 111-year-old record of 16.7 C set in 1915, with records going back to 1893.

“It was caused by that atmospheric river coming on shore more than anything else and the warm air associated with it,” Environment Canada meteorologist Brian Proctor said of the unseasonably warm weather Wednesday.

“It was very moisture laden for coastal areas, and as that warm air spread across the Coast Mountains into the Interior, it warmed things up considerably.”

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Records were also set Wednesday in Osoyoos (22.7 C), Summerland (20.8 C), Prince George (14.8 C), Quesnel (18.6 C), and Williams Lake (17 C). Previous records in Osoyoos, Prince George and Williams Lake were set in 2024. In Quesnel, the record dated back to 1901, while Summerland’s was set in 1930.

Proctor says temperatures in the Kamloops area are expected to remain elevated until Friday before returning to seasonal levels by the weekend and into next week. He added additional daily temperature records are likely to be set both today and tomorrow as the atmospheric river pushes east.

“It’s going to end sometime tomorrow, but in general, it’s another day and half of really stormy weather on the coast, stormy weather approaching portions of the interior and very warm temperatures for much of the southwest interior,” Proctor said.

“The big thing for people is going to be really the wind speed that they’re going to be seeing. It’s going make conditions very interesting out there. It’s going to be quite gusty and some of the higher terrain areas will be exposed to those winds.”

There are a number of rainfall warnings also in effect across B.C. – including on the Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt and in the Fraser Canyon. Those warnings in the interior, Proctor said, are expected to remain in place until Friday evening.

“It’s going to depend on how fast that atmospheric river clears the province and it looks like its going to start to move fairly quickly through the overnight into the early morning period,” Proctor added.

You can find the latest weather alerts from Environment Canada here.