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No rain this June means the Okanagan is 㽶Ƶֱin trouble㽶Ƶֱ

It could be a 㽶Ƶֱconcerning㽶Ƶֱ wildfire season if June sees lack of precipitation, says Doug Lundquist
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Skaha Beach in Penticton in August of 2020. (John Arendt - Black Press)

A cooler than normal May has set up a 㽶Ƶֱcritical㽶Ƶֱ June, according to experts, who say the next five weeks will determine the severity of wildfire season in the Okanagan.

Just like much of 2022 so far, the month of May was cooler and drier than usual in the region. This time around, however, the dry climate comes before the year㽶Ƶֱs most pivotal weather month.

㽶ƵֱIf we don㽶Ƶֱt get rain in June, then we can often have a very concerning summer from the fire-weather perspective,㽶Ƶֱ said Doug Lundquist, a meteorologist with Environment Climate Change Canada. 㽶ƵֱRight now, the outlook for summer is that it㽶Ƶֱs likely going to be in the cooler than average category, though.㽶Ƶֱ

Parts of the Okanagan, most notably Penticton, failed to reach a temperature of 25 C during May, a high that㽶Ƶֱs been tallied in the city for 30 consecutive years prior to 2022.

Precipitation totals, meanwhile, also fell below monthly averages across the Okanagan, with Lundquist adding that Penticton㽶Ƶֱs 36 millimetres of rain comes in three less than its usual mark.

㽶ƵֱSpring as a whole has been dry,㽶Ƶֱ he said. 㽶ƵֱThat㽶Ƶֱs kind of been the story in the Okanagan, no matter where you are.㽶Ƶֱ

Regardless of what the long-term forecast says, Lundquist says it㽶Ƶֱs 㽶Ƶֱall hands on deck㽶Ƶֱ for the next three months and that people should be prepared for just about anything.

㽶ƵֱI was looking at the model and there㽶Ƶֱs a hint of an extreme heat event in the Northern California and Southern Oregon boundary,㽶Ƶֱ the meteorologist said.

㽶ƵֱSo, the moral of the story here is this㽶Ƶֱwe (in the Okanagan) should be preparing ourselves and making sure that we㽶Ƶֱre ready for any sort of heat event.㽶Ƶֱ

June is the Okanagan㽶Ƶֱs rainiest month, according to Lundquist, who anticipates the heightened risk of wildfires if precipitation numbers are still below average between now and the week after Canada Day.

Temperatures in the region during May were nearly two degrees lower than the monthly average but the so-called 㽶Ƶֱdelayed start㽶Ƶֱ to summer should be the least of people㽶Ƶֱs concerns, according to the Kelowna-based meteorologist.

㽶ƵֱIf we don㽶Ƶֱt get our rain during the rainiest month of the year, we㽶Ƶֱre in trouble,㽶Ƶֱ he said. There㽶Ƶֱs a lot of the plate here, and we can㽶Ƶֱt just sit back and not consider being prepared.㽶Ƶֱ



logan.lockhart@pentictonwesternnews.com

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Logan Lockhart

About the Author: Logan Lockhart

I joined Black Press Media in 2021 after graduating from a pair of Toronto post-secondary institutions and working as a sports reporter for several different outlets.
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