Okanagan Lake weather and water conditions

Conditions for Kelowna and Okanagan Lake, updated every hour from Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Water Survey of Canada. Times are Pacific time.

For information only. This page is not an official forecast or warning service. Data can be delayed, provisional or wrong, and conditions on the lake can change quickly. Before going on the water, always confirm the official forecast and any warnings with Environment and Climate Change Canada at weather.gc.ca. Desert Salmon Charters accepts no responsibility for decisions made using this page. On a charter, your guide makes the final call on safety.

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About these numbers

Wind and safety. Wind on Okanagan Lake can build quickly, especially in the afternoon and with north winds. We flag forecast wind or gusts of 37 km/h or more (20 knots, Environment Canada's marine strong wind threshold, used here as a caution reference; there is no official marine forecast for Okanagan Lake). Your guide makes the final call on safety on the day.

Barometric pressure. Many anglers swear by the barometer. Fisheries studies have not shown that pressure changes affect catch rates for kokanee or rainbow trout, so we show it as weather information, not a prediction. What matters most on Okanagan Lake is water temperature at depth, light and season, and we find the fish with our sounder and downrigger temperature readings on the day.

Water temperature. The lake temperature comes from the Water Survey of Canada gauge on the Kelowna shoreline (Okanagan Lake at Kelowna, 08NM083). It is near-shore surface water. In summer the fish usually hold deeper, below the warm surface layer, so this is not the temperature where we fish. In late autumn to spring, when the lake is mixed, surface and fishing depths are closer.

Light. Early morning and evening are often the most productive times for kokanee and trout.

Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada. Lake temperature: Water Survey of Canada, provisional data that may change. Official forecasts and warnings: weather.gc.ca, Kelowna.

Planning a trip? Check dates and book, or see how to get your BC fishing licence.