What’s your favourite Okanagan Valley area? In each case our local wines came out on top! And though winter weather is generally mild if you're planning to visit the Okanagan during that season be prepared for general cloud cover and a mix of snow and rainy days. The Okanagan is dry. This is due to the Coastal Mountain Range, which creates a rain shadow that blocks or diverts the majority of the rainy weather systems from reaching the Okanagan. The diurnal range is wide, with general average summer day temperatures of approx. THE OKANAGAN VALLEY. Looking for something Okanagan related? - Obviously we don't need to tell you what to bring if you're visiting The weather changed from sunshine, to rain, to hail and then snow all in one day!! Love the Okanagan? Our version of a blizzard - which really is heavy snow that doesn't actually melt as it hits the ground. Penticton is located between Lake Okanagan to the north and Skaha Lake to the south and is one of Canada’s best-loved vacation spots. There was a time when a large part of what is now south-central British Columbia was the territory of the Okanagan First Nation, but after the arrival of Europeans, Indigenous residents were pushed onto much smaller pieces of land. Boasting 84% of the province’s vineyard acreage, the Okanagan Valley is BC’s premier grapegrowing region. The growing season in the southern end of the valley is about three weeks longer. The Osoyoos Desert Centre, nine kilometres out of town, offers insight into this sensitive ecosystem, which is home to 100 rare plants and 300 critters found nowhere else in Canada. Media Releases. Winter 'cold snaps' in January don't tend keep us indoors. To give you an idea, these Okanagan weather averages are based on the Central Okanagan Region: Springtime (March, April, May) in the Okanagan Valley is fresh and beautiful, with the first cherry blossoms waking up the lower landscapes with color. Hey, then, share the love! Smaller lakes at higher elevations freeze over and are popular for ice fishing! In total, about a third of summer temperatures in the South Okanagan Valley are considered tropical, that is, temperatures that are greater than 30 °C or 85 °F. I guided the group through the tasting, two wines at a time. This makes the climate and Okanagan weather ideally mild in the winter, and offers us lots of summer sunshine. Okanagan British Columbia weather in Among those docu… You can search here for custom Google results (ads also appear) and for pages on our site. Again, the South Okanagan sees winter a bit later that it's northern neighbor. These differences in temperature account for the wide variety of different grapes we grow in the valley. Perched high above the Town of Osoyoos, vistas of mountains, lake, desert and valley comprise the two full eighteen hole championship layouts which offer all golfers a unique golfing experience. Okanagan Roots wants to give the UK wine market access to one of Canada’s best kept secrets, from outstanding Meritage to elusive Ice Wine. Local governments call on Okanagan boaters to keep wakes low in shallow water. Cradled within three trimmed mountain slopes and dramatic clay cliffs Penticton has the natural beauty vacationers seek. The Okanagan is dry. Yes, it does get chilly in the winter and we do see some snow. They’re experimenting with lesser known grape varieties and taking advantages of small pockets of distinct climate variations. As air moves inland, it becomes warmer and drier which results in a dry season beginning in the late spring and reaching a peak in mid-summer. Get the forecast for today, tonight & tomorrow's weather for Okanagan, British Columbia, Canada. People often ask me how our wines stack up against international wines. Lake Country, Kelowna, and West Kelowna are excellent areas for growing Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir. Osoyoos BC, situated in the Great-Basin Desert, experiences climate, vegitation and flora and fauna that is distinctly unique to the Okanagan Valley. Home to over 90 communities and over 200 licensed wineries, the landscape is as varied as the tallest peak in the Canadian Rockies to the semi-arid climate of the Okanagan Desert. I was excited, but not surprised. The “Park Meadows Course” is a pleasurable “resort” course that is walker friendly. I was scrambling to pour eight glasses of wine each for 60 thirsty tasters… A total of 480 glasses of wine! Discover (and save!) 36 In fact, horticulture in the Okanagan Valley developed in a semi-desert environment with, for many crops, a marginal or prohibitavely short growing season. As orcharding developed in the Okanagan Valley elaborate irrigation works were constructed and environmental data rapidly accumulated. Just don't forget your bathing suit The Okanagan Valley in south central British Columbia offers a climate you won’t find anywhere else in Canada. Climate data and weather averages in Okanogan. Stay In Kelowna Here in the southern interior British Columbia, Okanagan weather is Although you can drive from the vineyards in the northern end of the Okanagan in Lake Country down to the viney… South Okanagan Climate & Weather. The photo above is courtesy of Janelle Webster. You would think being in Canada, high up in the northern hemisphere, would make the Okanagan a cool climate wine region. 20 Aug 2020. the summer is just plain beautiful! 15 Aug 2020. your own Pins on Pinterest The Okanagan is a special place - ready for your next outdoor adventure. October really cools off, and it's time to start packing up the camping gear and switch it our for the skis and snowboards to get ready for ski season. Okanagan lake strategy called outdated – Peachland councillor. Snow lovers, of course, determine the start of winter by the start of the snow season.Okanagan weather brings freezing or near freezing temperatures and snow that lasts from mid November to early March, so if you're visiting during that time, bring your winter coats, hats and gloves, and winter boots - all the typical winter weather wear. This is another beneficial factor for us though, as it allows the grapes to go through full winter dormancy. Although the Arctic is technically a desert due to its low precipitation of 10 inches annually - by comparison the Gobi Desert has 7 inches per year - Canada’s only other desert, the Okanagan, is home to traditional desert fare such as cactus, rattlesnakes, and a hot, arid, climate that enjoys 2,000 hours of sunlight a year. These differences in temperature account for the wide variety of different grapes we grow in the valley. :). Although you can drive from the vineyards in the northern end of the Okanagan in Lake Country down to the vineyards in Osoyoos in two hours, the growing conditions change considerably. The further south you go in the valley, the warmer it becomes and, more importantly, the longer our growing season is. The Okanagan Valley’s unique climate enables winemakers to produce amazing wines that can stand beside the world’s top wine regions, all while producing a wide range of varietals and shattering past assumptions about our latitude. It is increasingly important to take protective measures to safeguard this significant and diverse region in … A 36-Hole golf facility, Osoyoos Golf Club brings together ideal desert climate and picturesque Okanagan surroundings. I had selected wines from some of British Columbia’s standout varietals: Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah. Discover (and save!) All of these regions are world-renowned for crafting some of the best examples of wines made from these grapes. Although we share similar latitudes with these growing regions, we are quite different! It encompasses some of the nation’s most arid terrain as well as large lakes, including the expansive Okanagan Lake. This post contains some affiliate links, including Airbnb, which means I may make a small commission at no extra cost … The valley lies in the rain shadow of the Coastand Cascade mountains, creating a hot, sunny, dry climate. For example, it would be rare for temperatures to exceed 30 °C  in these areas. This arid zone is the northern tip of the Sonoran Desert which extends from Mexico into Canada. Get posts delivered straight to your inbox! Nov 30, 2015 - This Pin was discovered by Bo Skapski. The southern valley, which gets about 300 mm of precipitation, is desert-like, with cacti, rattlesnakes and mantids. 3 Dec 2020 According to the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), this region lies within the northern reach of the Columbia Plateau ecoregion (10.1.2). growing threat of human encroachment and global climate change to the ecosystem of the Okanagan Valley. The tasters had no idea which wine was local or international. The valley is renowned for its unique desert climate that creates the perfect fruit growing conditions and as such the Okanagan produces some of the best wines in Canada and even the world. [CDATA[ (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[1]='FNAME';ftypes[1]='text';fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); // ]]> What Makes the Okanagan’s Climate Unique? the Okanagan during the hot summer. What do I tell them? When it's raining at the Valley floor, we know it's snowing up at the ski resorts! Nestled in Western Canada, its desert climate, long hot summer days, soil diversity & elevation contribute to the unique terroir, making it one of the best locations in the world for viticulture. The semi-arid desert climate creates long, hot, sunny summers and mild, pleasant winters. Osoyoos Golf Club (36 holes - 4 km). Mean annual precipitation (Kelowna Airport) is 298 mm, of which 102 mm (34%) falls as snow. Top of Page, Copyright© 2008-2020 OkanaganVacationGuide.com, Winter In The Okanagan - A Breathtaking View Of Okanagan Lake Is From Greata Ranch Near Peachland British Columbia. The Okanagan (/ oʊ k ə ˈ n ɑː ɡ ən /), also known as the Okanagan Valley and sometimes as the Okanagan Country, is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River.It is part of the Okanagan Country, extending into the United States as Okanogan County in north-central Washington. With an ever-changing panorama, the valley stretches over 250 kilometres, across sub-regions, each with distinct soil and climate conditions suited to growing a range of varietals from sun-ripened reds to lively fresh and often crisp whites. 15 Aug 2020. Heading north, ecoregion gradually transitions into the Thompson-Okanogan Plateau ecoregion (10.1.1) around the shores of Skaha Lake. Okanagan Lake’s ‘full pool’ target hasn’t changed for decades, but maybe it should. Being in a dry, desert-like climate, the Okanagan enjoys some of the best grape (and other fruit) growing conditions and flavorful, ripe fruit. Could you tell the difference between BC wine and other regions in a blind tasting? Okanagan Valley Wine Region: A Cool Climate? Warming and drying of air as it descends along the eastern slopes of the Cascade Range results in near desert conditions of the Okanogan Highlands near the confluence of the Okanogan and Columbia rivers. Winter is colder, and this region receives a lot more snow than it's neighboring southern regions. I wasn’t going to let the BC wines off easy. Discover (and save!) Nowhere is this more important or beneficial than in the South Okanagan Similkameen region where the semi-desert climate, geography, and unique geological history provide the baseline for a set of particular environmental issues. After each pair, I asked the crowd which wine they preferred by a show of hands. The northern part of the Okanagan Valley (near Kelowna) is generally cooler than the south (around Osoyoos and the Okanagan Desert), which is why white production is concentrated in the north and red wines are mainly made in the south. - (ok, it's also known as allergy season! As the northernmost tip of the Great Basin Desert, arid landscapes and desert-like conditions should come as no surprise. In the Okanagan Valley, set in high, desert-like land overlooking the eponymous lake, cool-climate varieties like Pinot Noir and Riesling are thriving. On the other hand, a big risk the Okanagan, and all of BC faces due to the summer's hot dry climate is forest fires, which begin usually around June lasting through the fall. It is due to these hot summer days that we are able to grow such a diverse array of grape varieties. Contact Us | It's pretty common to go spring skiing in the morning, and a bike ride in shorts in the afternoon! Most of the valley receives about 2,000 hours of sunlight per year and 250–400 mm of precipitation. This is due to the Coastal Mountain Range, which creates a rain shadow that blocks or diverts the majority of the rainy weather systems from reaching the Okanagan. Okanagan Vacation Guide Home | That is a very important factor for the quality of our wines because it allows our grapes to ripen slowly into the fall, preserving the natural acidity in the fruit. The Southern Interior region of BC lies within the Great Basin Desert region, between Oliver BC and the Canada-United States border, and is considered part of the Great Basin Desert Region, which runs south to the Baja Peninsula in Mexico. For this reason, the area boasts its own climate zone called "Osoyoos Arid Biotic Zone." Averages are for Omak Airport, which is 8 miles from Okanogan. Privacy Policy | Hi/Low, RealFeel®, precip, radar, & everything you need to be ready for the day, commute, and weekend! If you're out and about, it's a good idea to have layers handy, as the weather can change quite quickly from a nice warm sunny afternoon, to cold, cloudy and rain. Being so far north means the grapes benefit from tonnes of sunshine hours in the peak of our growing season. Meanwhile, Oliver and Osoyoos, Canada’s only arid desert, receive roughly 12″ a year! With a diverse landscape of pine woodland and open grassland, the campus contains ecosystems and has plants and wildlife identified as being species at risk. Wine One or Wine Two? In the end of June, our vineyards are soaking up sunlight shortly after 5 AM and still basking in its rays after 9 PM! Other wine regions at this latitude (just shy of the 50th Parallel), like Champagne in France and the Mosel in Germany, are some of the coolest (pun intended) wine regions on the planet. In this region the climate is most unique; you'll find semi-arid desert conditions - very hot, dry summers, which contribute to the Okanagan desert ecosystems, and mild winter weather. A warm jacket is a sure bet for being out during the evenings. In the peak of the growing season, we actually get roughly two hours more sunlight per day than they do down in Napa! Summer thunder storms don't stay around too long, and are generally followed by bright sunshine and brilliant greenery. ... the Okanagan will speak to you. It allows them to fully shut down over a couple of months before re-awakening in spring. Known as the hottest place in Canada, Osoyoos is surrounded by the Okanagan Desert, a semi-arid region that is home to hundreds of plant and animal species unique to the area. The Okanagan Valley is one of five viticultural areas in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Because of the climate, wines grown in Oliver are going to be very different from wines grown in Lake Country. Okanagan weather can be considered fairly predictable and consistent most of the time. Annual Weather Averages Near Okanogan. Evenings are cooler, crisper and as the sun begins to set earlier, the lakes are cooler - really too cool to swim unless you're really brave!During the month of September, temperatures are still quite warm in the day, mid 20's°C, when early fall apple and pears are ready. With two full-length Championship courses boasting the longest season in the Okanagan. From north to south, east to west, and everything in between, vineyard managers are discovering which varietals will do best in our young but thriving wine region. influenced by the Canadian Coastal and Cascade mountain ranges. This is why Vancouver and the Lower Mainland get about 48″ of precipitation a year while here in the Kelowna area we get about 16″ a year. One of the reasons why our wines are so awesome is our distinctly unique climate. In the Okanagan, the locals get upset if it isn’t, Other Climate Characteristics of the Okanagan Valley Wine Region, Although you can drive from the vineyards in the northern end of the Okanagan in Lake Country down to the vineyards in Osoyoos in two hours, the growing conditions change considerably. About Us | Autumn is a beautiful time to be here. Dec 2, 2015 - This Pin was discovered by Bo Skapski. The Okanagan Valley. your own Pins on Pinterest It's not common, but the snow then stays around for days or maybe a few weeks. As I said before, BC wine is awesome! When does winter start?Well, that depends on what part of the Okanagan you're in. The temperature can be about 5 °  warmer on any given day in the peak of summer. I made sure they had world-class competition: Riesling from the Mosel Valley in Germany, Chardonnay from the Russian River Valley in California, Pinot Noir from Burgundy in France, and Shiraz from the Barossa Valley in Australia. Here is the current Interior BC weather forecast for today and the next two weeks. //