Okanagan weather: snowy finish to February, chilly start to March

Seven times the normal amount of snow was on the ground at the Kelowna Airport to start the final day of February, with 14 centimetres reported when the average is 2 centimetres.

But that was before heavy snow finishes falling across the region, with a snowfall warning in effect for up to 10 centimetres expected before the end of the month arrives.

Temperatures will sit in mid-minus single digits all day on Thursday, with snow easing later in the day, with just a few flurries lingering in pockets into the first few hours of March.

The new month will begin with the mercury pushing toward minus double digits, with wind chills in the minus teens under mostly cloudy skies.

After a few mid-morning sunny breaks, clouds will slide back into the valley with a chance of a few flurries, particularly later in the day as the region warms up toward the freezing mark in the afternoon.

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The system that brought in snow and cloud cover will then slide further south and deeper into the U.S. And as it does, it will pull temperatures back down with it.

The first weekend of March will start out with a few clouds on Saturday, but, as soon as those clear, cool conditions will prevail with daytime highs making it to around -2 or -3 and overnight lows in the minus teens.

Sunday will be filled with some sensational sunshine, but the cool air will stick around into the first week of the month, with Monday morning wind chills making it feel like the -20s.

Skies should stay mostly sunny Monday and into part of Tuesday before clouds roll back in and an upper ridge finally kicks out the arctic air and pushes daytime highs back above freezing.

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