Kelowna Weather
Ideal Conditions Year-Round

beautiful day in a kelowna orchardKelowna weather is perfect year-round for those loving the great outdoors.

Now I know some of you might disagree with me when the winter sets in and the snow begins to fall.

But compared to most of the rest of Canada the weather is downright balmy!

Kelowna, BC is known for its hot, dry summers and its mild winters. You can find many outdoor activities to enjoy no matter what season it is here.

It is a vacation paradise for visitors and a place where people from all across the world want to move to.

Kelowna was the first Okanagan city I visited after many years of vacationing in Trail in the Kootenay region of British Columbia.

It was the middle of summer and I remember the heat and the beautiful sunshine. I was hooked on the Okanagan weather!

Kelowna's Climate

Kelowna weather and its climate is affected by its location. It lies in the rain shadow of the Cascade Mountain Range.

This protects Kelowna from the extreme cold winters that affect most of Canada.

The climate here is officially known as a semi-arid steppe climate. It is very similar to many parts of the American west and southwest of the United States.

The summer months of July and August have average daytime high temperatures of 27.4°C (81.3°F) and overnight lows of around 10°C (50°F).

These temperatures are taken at Kelowna Airport which is several kilometres north of the centre of the city.

The temperature in the heart of the city is typically warmer than that taken at the airport. There are many days where the temperature is 35°C (95°F) and over.

December and January experience daytime highs averaging -0.3°C (31.5°F) and average lows of -7.7°C (18.1°F). Again these are Kelowna Airport temperatures so they do vary from other parts of Kelowna.

There are several times during the winter when their is an Arctic outbreak and temperatures do get much colder. This is when you can see the mercury plummet to anywhere from -20°C (-4°F) to -30°F (-22°F) and sometimes even colder.

These events usually don't last more than a few days before it begins to moderate and warm up.

The winter months have many days that are overcast due to the clashing of the moisture from the Pacific Ocean and cold arctic air from the north which gets trapped in the Valley bottom.

Overall, Kelowna weather is just right anytime of the year!

Some Weather Facts

a paddler enjoys a kelowna sunsetHere are some interesting facts on Kelowna weather and its climate.

  • Kelowna is 344 metres (1,129 feet) above sea level.

  • A record high temperature of 39.5°C (103.1°F) was established at the Kelowna Airport on July 24, 1994. This was probably even hotter in the centre of the city.

  • A record low temperature of -36°C (-33°F) was made on December 30, 1968.

  • June is typically the wettest month of the year with the average rainfall at 40.7 mm (1.6 in).

  • December receives the most snow of any month. It averages 35.7cm (14.06 in). January is not far behind in its total snowfall accumulations.

  • July has the most hours of sunshine with an average of 300 glorious hours to enjoy.

  • January has the lowest average of any month at just 40.3 hours of sunshine. Hey, it is not all gloom and doom. There are still plenty of activities to enjoy outdoors even with the lack of sun.

  • The last time Okanagan Lake froze over was in 1983. That was a cold year!

  • Observations on wind activity shows that Kelowna has the greatest percentage of calm days in all of Canada. I guess that means there are not too many days for flying a kite.



    Average High and Low Temperatures
    Kelowna, BC


  • January -0.7°C to -8.4°C

  • February -2.8°C to -6.3°C

  • March 9.4°C to -2.7°C

  • April 15.2°C to 0.5°C

  • May 20°C to 4.7°C

  • June 24.3°C to 8.4°C

  • July 27.6°C to 10°C

  • August 27.2°C to 9.7°C

  • September 20.9°C to 5.3°C

  • October 13.5°C to 0.5°C

  • November 5.4°C to -2.9°C

  • December 0.2°C to -6.9°C

    For more on Kelowna weather and climate please check out the Environment Canada website which has loads of historical information and other facts you may be interested in.



    Okanagan Valley Guide will be updated regularly. Please return often or bookmark this site. I will be adding more pages of exciting information for you.

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