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Warm North Okanagan weather results in December lake dip

Two moms, eight kids use beauty day to go for brief swim and pier jump in Coldstream’s Kal Lake

It was a perfect day Wednesday to grab the kids and head to the beach.

Parking was excellent, the beach relatively quiet.

Wednesday was the first of the month. Month of December.

“We took advantage of the record high temperatures on Dec. 1 to enjoy the beach and pier at Kal Lake with our kids,” said Hadassah Styles. “Friends of ours on Vancouver Island had introduced us to the health benefits of cold water swimming over the summer so we were all very excited to try it out in Vernon. We had two moms and eight kids aged five to 15 swimming with us.”

The weather was warm for December, but the water was what it was supposed to be for this time of year: chilly.

“The water was very cold,” said Styles, joined by kids Jono, Ana and Bennay, mom Ruth Osborn and kids Lois, Joseph, Tabitha, Cassia and John for the dip.

“We set a timer for five minutes to stay up to our necks, and then ended with jumping off the pier.”

It was a record-setting day, temperature-wise, in the North Okanagan Dec. 1.

In Vernon, the thermometer read 16.3 C, shattering the previous record of 11.2 C set in 2012.

One person posted to their Facebook page how they were driving around with the top of their vehicle off and wearing a T-shirt as they drove home from the gym.

READ MORE: Wednesday’s temperature highs in Okanagan-Shuswap break century of records

READ MORE: Outdoor Vernon skating rink reopening delayed by warm weather



roger@vernonmorningstar.com

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Roger Knox

About the Author: Roger Knox

I am a journalist with more than 30 years of experience in the industry. I started my career in radio and have spent the last 21 years working with Black Press Media.
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