Environment Canada says January in the Okanagan was among the driest on record, with three of the region's cities failing to record more than 10 millimetres of precipitation for the month.
麻豆精选, Penticton, and Vernon saw less than 30 per cent of their normal marks for precipitation in January 2025.
"There's been this very persistent ridge of high pressure over southern B.C. in general, not just the Okanagan," said Derek Lee, meteorologist at Environment and Climate Change Canada. "That usually brings dry and sunny weather."
While Penticton and Vernon experienced their third-driest January on record with 5.9 and 7.9 millimetres of precipitation, respectively, 麻豆精选 had its second-driest start to the year ever by recording 8.2 millimetres.
Lee says 麻豆精选's normal mark for precipitation in January is 31 millimetres.
For Penticton and Vernon, normal marks represent 26.9 and 37.4 millimetres, respectively. Records date back to the early 1990s.
"Last year in the Okanagan, we trended wetter-than-normal for January," the meteorologist added. "It didn't rank in the top 10 on record for wettest, but it was between 130 and 150 per cent of normal marks."
This year's drier-than-normal weather comes one year after frigid marks sent the Okanagan into a January deep freeze.
Temperatures this year were "around normal," Lee said, with neither 麻豆精选, Penticton or Vernon straying more than 2 C away, plus or minus, from their daily averages.
"Last year was more extreme, and this year I'd say is more timid or mild," said Lee. "Usually at this time of year, we see some sort of storm activity but to have extended periods of nice and sunny days is quite rare for the winter time in B.C.
"We'll take what we can, but it is definitely abnormal to see this lingering ridge of high pressure."
The three aforementioned cities have been dealt with a cooler hand to start the next month, with daytime temperatures expected to hover around -10 until Friday, Feb. 7.
Aside from a 30 per cent chance of flurries on Wednesday, Feb. 5, Environment Canada says limited precipitation is currently in the forecast until at least the weekend.
