'A colder and wetter winter' nears its end in B.C.'s southern Interior

Some relief finally appears to be in sight for parts of the B.C. Interior following a season some people are calling a "never-ending winter."

"It hasn't been a longer winter, but it's definitely been a colder and wetter winter," said Jennifer Hay, meteorologist with Environment Canada.

"Everyone has seen more snow than normal this year."

And, based on social media posts, it appears many people have had enough. Okanagan residents, in particular, are venting about the snow that just won't go away.

Hay said it all began with an early snowstorm on November 3.

She says the Okanagan typically has four days with snow on the ground in November while the Kootenays has nine, but this winter was an exception.

'It's really hanging around'

"It was almost the whole month, so that was quite unusual," she said.

That was followed by multiple snow storms, record-breaking snowfall and unseasonably cooler temperatures in December, January and February.

As of Monday March 5, Cranbrookin the East Kootenaysstill had 29 centimetres of snow on the ground when it normally would have only seven, based on 30-year averages.

"It's really hanging around a lot longer," she said.

In February, the snowpack in the Okanagan was sitting at 131 percent of normal.

Haypredicts much of the valley snow will melt later this week though, as the Okanagan, Kootenays and Columbia region are expecting temperatures of up to 12 C.

With files from CBC's Daybreak South and Alya Ramadan.