Climate bragging rights

We Okanaganites love to brag to family across the country about our hot summers and mild winters.

But, have you ever wondered just where we rank on the scale of hottest, driest, most sunny or least snowy?

Well, now you can find out.

Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips analyzed 30 years of weather data from Canada's 100 largest cities to compile an interactive map revealing Canada's sunshine champ and more.

Who's the hottest? That would be Kamloops, with an average summer temperature of 26.94 C. But, Penticton was not far behind, in second place at 26.72 C. Kelowna ranked fourth at 26.25 C, and Vernon 11th with 25.29 C.

Penticton was also second for most days above 30 degrees, with 25.86. Kelowna had 25, and Vernon 17.

Kamloops was also the driest city with just 267 mm of rain, but Penticton came in a respectable fourth with 332 mm. Kelowna averaged 380 mm (9th), while Vernon had 484 (25th).

Kelowna topped the list for lightest winds, averaging just 5.38 km/h.

Penticton cracked the top five for lowest snowfall, with 67 cm. Victoria had the least, just 43 cm.

Victoria topped the charts for mildest winter, but the Okanagan wasn't too far back. Penticton came in 11th with an average 2.23 C; Kelowna was 12th at 1.23 C; and Vernon was 25th with -0.54 C.

Likewise, the Okanagan fared well for fewest freezing days. Penticton was 11th with 116 days; Vernon was 26th with 147; and Kelowna 36th with 157.

They call it the sunny Okanagan, but Prairie cities ruled the roost for sunshine hours. The sunniest Okanagan city was Vernon, way down the list in 28th place with 2,056 hours of sunshine.

The results will surely provide for some heated debate around the Christmas dinner table. We may already know so, but the data may also fuel a new wave of retirees seeking the Okanagan's mild climate.

Check out the map at weatherstats.ca.