CLIMATE

Canada's lowest annual precipitation, warmest annual temperature, and warmest fresh water lake.

Osoyoos is located in one of the most unusual geographical regions in Canada. The community lies in the shadow of the Cascade Mountains creating a hot, sunny, dry climate. For this reason, the area boasts its own climate zone called "Osoyoos Arid Biotic Zone." Canada's lowest annual precipitation, warmest annual temperature, and warmest fresh water lake can be found here. This arid zone is the northern tip of the Sonoran Desert which extends from Mexico into Canada. It is biologically classified as Canada's only desert because of the unique flora and fauna that call the area home.

Average Hours of Sunshine 2039 Hours 

Average January High    0.1 C 32 F

Average July High    29 C 84 F

Average Annual Rainfall 25 cm 9.8 in

Average Annual Snowfall5.4 cm 2.1 in
check the weather
Fruit and Vegetable Harvest Dates



JuneJuly August Sept and Oct



AsparagusApples   Apples   Apples
Cherries   Apricots   Beans  Beans
Grapes   Beans      Beets   Beets
Raspberries    Beets      Blueberries         Cantaloupe
Strawberries     Blueberries     Cantaloupe     Corn
       Cherries    Cherries     Corn (ornamental) 
        Corn        Corn        Cucumbers (field)
  Cucumbers(field)  Cucumbers (field)      Garlic
       Garlic Garlic    Gourds
    Nectarines Nectarines Nectarines
      Onions    Onions   Onions
     Peaches      Peaches       Peaches
Peas        Peas      Peas
Peppers     Pears     Pears
       Pickles     Peppers         Peppers
Plums      Pickles          Pickles
       Potatoes    Plums     Plums
       Prunes     Prunes    Prunes
      Raspberries       Squash   Pumpkins
      Strawberries      Tomatoes (field) Squash
      Zucchini    Watermelon Tomatoes (field)
        Watermelon   Zucchini

UNIQUE LOCATION OF OUR CONDOS
Our Condos are located right by the lake, with about 1400 sq ft of living space and 9 ft high ceiling. It is minutes from the city but located away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Enjoy the view of the lake and the city from every room.
Osoyoos is located in the south central interior of British Columbia, approximately 400 Km east of Vancouver at the junction of Highways 97 and 3 on the border of Washington State.

You will feel as though you've stumbled across a little part of the Mediterranean, it's no wonder. This is the place to beat the summer heat; sailing, windsurfing, water-skiing and parasailing are all here for your pleasure.

Osoyoos is a unique, vibrant, growing community located in the heart of Desert Wine Country. Its semi-arid climate produces very hot, dry days in the summer and very mild days in the winter.  Osoyoos Lake is the warmest fresh water lake in Canada and provides for great summer time activities. Osoyoos boasts of having a very long golf season that can be experienced on one of two golf courses located in Osoyoos.  With Mount Baldy ski hill just a 45 minute drive, you could ski in the morning golf in the afternoon!!  A very unique experience!

Surround by orchards and vineyards and over hundred rare plants, Osoyoos bills itself as Desert Wine Country.
Other attractions are the Spotted Lakes, the Windmill, Anarchist Mountain Lookout, Vaseux Lake Provincial Park, just north of Osoyoos on Highway 97.
History

The name Osoyoos (O-sue-use) is an Okanagan Indian word meaning "the narrows" or "the place where two lakes come together". Nomadic tribes appear to have been the Osoyoos region's first visitors around 1066. Early records indicate that no permanent Indian residents were in the area prior to 1800. The only historical records of this early time period are pictographs on mountain walls and in caves.

David Stuart and a French companion, Montigny, are credited with being the first white men to enter the Osoyoos district in September 1811. Employed by the Pacific Fur Company, these explorers were en-route to Fort Kamloops looking for a better trade route through the interior of British Columbia. They noted that Osoyoos was an ideal campsite. After the Hudson's Bay Company bought out the Pacific Fur Company, the Hudson's Bay Company Brigades used the area as a trading route from 1812 - 1848.

The British Columbia gold rush in the 1860s helped to further open the Osoyoos area. A customs house was built in 1861. Customs collector John Carmichael Haynes, justice of the peace for Osoyoos and Kootenay districts, was a pioneer settler at Osoyoos and accumulated 8900 hectares of land for a cattle and horse ranch. The first commercial orchard was established nearby in 1890. The South Okanagan Irrigation Project brought an irrigation canal to the area by 1919.

Osoyoos was incorporated in 1946. Agriculture and tourism are now the community's largest economic sectors.