Penticton shatters temperature records for Dec. 1

The latest atmospheric river saw temperatures soar around B.C. on Wednesday, with one Okanagan community shattering records for the first day of December.

The mercury in Kelowna and Vernon shot up to close to 18 degrees, but in Penticton, temperatures hit 22.5.

The previous high for Dec. 1 in Penticton was 11.2 in 2012.

Some weather enthusiasts note Penticton tied the national Dec. 1 record in Hamilton, Ontario, set in 1982.

22.5C today in #Penticton, #BritishColumbia!
That breaks the previous provincial monthly record by more than 3C and ties the national December record set in Hamilton, ON in 1982.
Also 20.7C in Summerland, 18.1C in Osoyoos, 17.9C in Salmon Arm, 17.8C in Kelowna U.#BCstorm pic.twitter.com/kjs25BkJ38

— Thierry Goose (@ThierryGooseBC) December 1, 2021

Though some people may have had their shorts on Wednesday, the cold is expected to set in quickly.

Temperatures in and around Penticton are forecast to plunge in the coming days, with overnight lows dropping to around -5 and -6 by early next week.

Summerland also saw the mercury rise on Wednesday, recording 20 degrees. The previous high was set in 2012 at 11.3.

The temperatures in Kelowna and Vernon also broke previous records set in 2012, though by only a few degrees.

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The high heat in the Interior comes as southern B.C. continues to grapple with flooding after a series of atmospheric rivers over the last few weeks.

In mid November, a weather system triggered mass flooding in some areas, including Abbotsford, which continues to deal with high water levels.

Parts of the Interior, including Merritt and Princeton, were also hit by severe weather and floods, while highways connecting the Lower Mainland to the rest of B.C. were washed out or shut down by mudslides.

The high temperatures at the tail-end of fall also come amid a year that’s seen several other weather-related emergencies in B.C.

Earlier this summer, Lytton recorded Canada’s highest-ever temperature, breaking those previous highs on three consecutive days. That B.C. community was virtually completely destroyed by a raging wildfire on the third day of extreme temperatures.

That tragedy came amid a first in a series of heat waves to hit B.C.