‘It’s unusual’: Okanagan residents surprised by early morning spring snow

Some Okanagan residents living in mountainous communities were surprised by an unexpected early morning spring snowfall on Monday.

Hilda Reimer, who lives on Anarchist Mountain near Osoyoos, B.C., said she awoke to the snow falling around 5:00 a.m., and the flakes stopped around 7:30 a.m.

“I opened my eyes, rolled over, and my husband goes, ‘Yep, it’s snowing!” she said.

“It’s unusual for us to have snow.”

Year-round residents or those with seasonal properties at Big White near Kelowna, B.C., Baldy Mountain near Oliver, B.C., and SilverStar near Vernon, B.C., also experienced the deep chill at higher elevations on Monday morning.

Big White Ski Resort posted to Facebook that it’s snowing in the alpine, while biking and hiking season is scheduled to begin on July 1.

“A reminder that there is active logging happening on the mountain, and to please stay out of those areas and be aware of loaded logging trucks traveling on the roads in and around the resort,” the resort added.

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Baldy Mountain ski resort staff also took to social media to mark the weather wonder.

“What a way to start our day! Did someone shake the snow globe?!?!.” they wrote on Facebook.

Last week the Okanagan experienced a heatwave, with temperatures climbing to 36 C.

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The region has experienced an unseasonably dry spring with lower-than-average amounts of precipitation.

After a cooler weekend, temperatures return to the 20s with some showers on Monday in the Okanagan before temperatures climb up further.

The first day of summer is Sunday, June 20.