All of the Okanagan is under a severe thunderstorm watch today.
Environment Canada issued the bulletin at 3:49 a.m. as “an alert to the potential development of severe thunderstorms with large hail and damaging winds.”
The forecast for today in Penticton still calls for just a 70 per cent chance of showers and a high of 20 C.
According to the severe weather alert, which covers much of Southern B.C., an upper low-pressure system off the B.C. coast is expected to deliver “significant” rainfall to the region.
Rain is expected to intensify throughout the day, with amounts up to 35 millimetres in some areas. The low-pressure system is expected to situate over Washington and Oregon by Wednesday and stay for most of the week.
Environment Canada says the system is expected to spin off moisture over the Canadian border and “it is not out of the question that some of the affected regions may experience a prolonged rainfall event.”