You’ve seen the charts. You’ve probably checked the little icon on your phone three times today already. But if you’re living in or traveling through the Thompson Valley, you know that the weather forecast Kamloops BC provides is rarely a simple "sunny" or "cloudy" affair. It’s a literal battleground of air masses.
Honestly, right now is a perfect example. As of mid-January 2026, we are seeing a massive tug-of-war between a lingering atmospheric river and the high-desert reality of the interior. While the coast is getting absolutely hammered with rain, Kamloops is doing its usual thing—staying strangely dry but incredibly moody.
The Rain Shadow Myth vs. Reality
People call Kamloops a semi-arid desert. It’s a badge of honor for locals. But that rain shadow cast by the Coast Mountains isn’t a magic shield. It’s a filter.
Take this week's setup. Environment Canada has been tracking a significant moisture plume. While places like Hope and Merritt are under yellow-level rainfall warnings with 50 to 70 mm expected, Kamloops is sitting at a comfortable 10°C today, January 13, 2026. That is nearly ten degrees above the seasonal average high of -1°C.
It feels like spring. It smells like wet sagebrush. But don’t let the 10-degree high fool you into thinking winter is over.
Why the Forecast Changes Every Hour
If you’ve ever wondered why your weather app seems to lie to you, look at the geography. We are tucked into a valley where the North and South Thompson rivers meet.
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- Elevation Gaps: The airport (YKA) might say it’s 8°C and cloudy. Meanwhile, if you’re up in Aberdeen or Juniper Ridge, you might be scraping ice off your windshield or watching actual snowflakes fall.
- Inversion Layers: In the winter, cold air gets trapped in the valley bottom like water in a bowl. The sun can be shining at Sun Peaks, but downtown is stuck in a grey "soup" of clouds.
- The Wind Factor: Wind usually comes from the west or south, but when that Arctic air manages to squeeze through the Rockies, everything changes.
What the Numbers Are Telling Us Right Now
Today is an outlier. Seeing 10°C in January is weird, even for our "milder" winters. Usually, we'd be looking at a low of -8°C.
The current weather forecast Kamloops BC is showing a slow slide back to reality. By Thursday, January 15, we’re looking at highs of 6°C, and by the weekend, we’ll be hovering closer to 3°C or 4°C. The "big soak" from the atmospheric river is mostly bypassing the city center, but the clouds are sticking around like an uninvited guest.
Humidity is sitting high—around 84% today. That’s why the 10°C feels a bit "raw" rather than genuinely warm. It’s that damp cold that gets into your bones.
The Travel Danger Zone
If you are planning to head south on the Coquihalla or east toward Rogers Pass, ignore the Kamloops city forecast.
Right now, the Trans-Canada Highway near Rogers Pass is bracing for 15 cm of snow. The Coquihalla is dealing with pooling water and reduced visibility from heavy rain. This is the classic Kamloops trap: you leave the city in a light jacket and hit a blizzard or a torrential downpour 40 minutes later.
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The 2026 Climate Shift: Is This the New Normal?
Experts from the B.C. government and groups like the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium have been sounding the alarm on these shifting patterns for a while. Historically, Kamloops saw very consistent, dry cold in January.
Now? We see "whiplash weather."
We go from -20°C cold snaps (when the Arctic air manages to punch through) to +10°C tropical-moisture spikes within the same week. This volatility is actually harder on the local ecosystem than a steady freeze. Plants start to "wake up" during these warm spells, only to be devastated when the temperature inevitably drops back to -15°C next week.
Surviving the Thompson Valley Winter
If you’re trying to plan your life around the weather forecast Kamloops BC, stop looking at the "Daily High" and start looking at the "Hourly Trend."
- Layering is a religion here. You need a windproof shell because the valley winds don't care about your wool sweater.
- Check the highway cams. Before you head to the coast, look at the DriveBC cameras for the Coquihalla and Larson Hill. The weather there has nothing to do with the weather at the Sahali Mall.
- Watch the pressure. Rapid drops in barometric pressure here usually precede those nasty wind gusts that can knock over patio furniture in Westsyde.
Basically, Kamloops weather is a series of micro-climates. You can't trust one sensor to tell the whole story.
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Practical Steps for the Next 48 Hours
Keep an eye on the transition on Wednesday. We’re moving from "cloudy and weirdly warm" to "mostly sunny and cooling down." Wednesday, January 14, looks like the pick of the week with a high of 9°C and actual blue sky.
If you have outdoor chores or need to wash the road salt off your car, Wednesday is your window. By Friday, the thermometer starts its inevitable crawl back toward the freezing mark, and those damp clouds will likely return to settle in the valley bottom.
Monitor the Environment Canada alerts for the Merritt and Shuswap regions specifically if you’re commuting. The moisture is moving through those corridors, and while Kamloops stays relatively dry, the roads connecting us to the rest of the province are currently a mess of rain and melting slush.
Actionable Next Steps: Check the DriveBC Coquihalla cameras before any evening travel today to avoid the peak of the atmospheric river's runoff. If you're local, use the clear window on Wednesday afternoon to clear any debris from your gutters, as the cooling trend later this week will freeze any standing water left by today's unseasonal warmth.