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Extreme cold: Record-breaking temperatures recorded in the Okanagan

Summerland, Osoyoos and Penticton set new daily minimums on Monday (Dec. 27)
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Extreme cold weather warnings continue across Western Canada, with ski hills forced to close in both Edmonton and Calgary. (Monica Lamb-Yorski photo - Williams Lake Tribune. (Monica Lamb-Yorski photo - Williams Lake Tribune)

The Western Canadian cold snap has made its mark in the Okanagan.

Dec. 27, 2021, will go down as a record-setting one for extreme cold in the region, according to Environment Canada.

Summerland, Penticton and Osoyoos set daily minimum temperature records on Monday, with lows hitting -22 C throughout the day.

The last time it was near this cold in Summerland or Osoyoos on the day of Dec. 27 was in 1971.

Meanwhile, in Penticton, the last time the city had recorded a minimum temperature of -19 C in December was in 1968. It was in that same year when the city saw its coldest day ever — -27.2 C on Dec. 30, 53 years ago.

READ MORE: Penticton’s coldest day was December 30, 1968

Well-below normal temperatures have been recorded throughout the Okanagan since Boxing Day. But when it comes to the winter blast in the West, there’s more where that came from.

Temperatures in Alberta are reaching up to -40 C with the windchill, while Metro Vancouver looked bound to break its all-time record for cold after a frigid Tuesday.

Western Canada’s most populous city of Vancouver recorded a temperature of -13 C at one point on Tuesday (Dec. 28), with Environment Canada issuing an arctic outflow warning for the area.

And just like Penticton, the last time Vancouver had recorded such a low temperature was in late December in 1968.

The Okanagan-wide cold snap is expected to continue into New Year’s Eve, with Penticton bound for a sunny, yet frigid -14 C day on Friday (Dec. 31).

READ MORE: Extra beds added at Penticton shelter during cold snap


@lgllockhart
logan.lockhart@pentictonwesternnews.com

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