One of my favorite places in BC is the Thompson Valley. It is a little colder than the Okanagan during the winter, but spring comes early and except for Osoyoos, it is hotter than the Okanagan during the summer.
The most eastern end of the semi-desert region of the Thompson Valley is Kamloops and the western end is Spences Bridge.
The town of Ashcroft is right in the middle of the valley and is the driest spot in Canada south of 60 degrees.
I have long suspected that Ashcroft would have among the hottest summer averages in Canada, but not until recently did they have an official weather station.
Seeing how weather averages officially need 30 years to make them official this is very preemptive, but I wanted to do it just for fun on my Sunday (like any sane person.......)
So, here are the averages so far starting in Dec 2010 to this year.
Ashcroft Averages by
Ian, on Flickr
In BC during the summer you can buy watermelons grown from Ashcroft.
A couple of my pics of the area:
Ashcroft by
Ian, on Flickr
Thompson River - Ashcroft by
Ian, on Flickr
Ashcroft Main Street by
Ian, on Flickr
Ashcroft is definitely a very different place than coastal BC, and it is only a 3 and a half hour drive from Vancouver.