While most of the headlines when it comes to beautiful weather in and around Osoyoos are written during the warm weather months it is during the long winter months that Mother Nature blesses us the most here in Osoyoos and the South Okanagan.

While most of the rest of Canada has been battered with brutal cold and endless storms, we’re enjoying record-breaking warm temperatures and beautiful sunshine that makes us the envy of our fellow Canadians east of British Columbia.

While most of Canada has been battered with massive storms and sub-Arctic temperatures, many Osoyoos residents are likely polishing up their golf clubs after the thermometer reached an incredible 16 degrees earlier this week.

There were many parts of the South Okanagan that set weather records earlier this week dating back more than 120 years.

Penticton and Vernon enjoyed daytime highs of 15 on Monday, while the thermometer reached 16 here in Osoyoos.

This record mild weather has blessed us at the same time that every province east of British Columbia has been hit exceptionally hard by Mother Nature this winter.

Even Toronto, Canada’s biggest city, which usually has very little snow and moderate temperatures during most winters, was not spared as millions of resident had to endure one of the worst ice storms in Canadian history over the Christmas holiday season.

Hundreds of thousands of residents across Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick were left without electricity over the holiday season as brutal winter weather wreaked havoc and left hundreds of thousands of Canadians without electricity.

While Osoyoos had its regular annual “cold snap” that traditionally lasts a few days, we certainly have nothing to complain about as we had to endure eight or nine days of minus 10 to 15 temperatures in early December.

There are many reasons why we are all very fortunate to live in the most beautiful part of the world’s greatest and most beautiful country, but the beautiful weather we are blessed with certainly ranks right near the top.

We know we’re going to get endless days of beautiful sunshine and long, hot days during the spring, summer and fall.

The fact that we don’t have to dig out from endless snowfall and freeze during endless days of bitter cold make us the envy of the rest of Canada.

And for that we should all be very thankful.