Kelowna is a city located on Okanagan Lake in the heart of the Okanagan Valley in Beautiful British Columbia. The name Kelowna comes from a local First Nations word for grizzly bear. The city is the Okanagan's largest and liveliest population centre, and one of Canada's most popular vacation destinations. Kelowna is located less than five hours east of Vancouver, host of the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Kelowna offers a spectacular landscape of lake, mountains and parks, making it ideal for many outdoor activities including sailing, boating, windsurfing, fishing, skiing/snowboarding, hiking, biking and golf. The region is known for its dry, sunny climate, arid landscapes and lakeshore communities.
Relative to most Canadian cities, Kelowna enjoys a dry climate and mild temperatures. The year round average temperature is 7.7°C (45.9°F), an average January temperature of 2.3°C (36.1°F); and an average July temperature of 27.8°C (82°F). Kelowna averages 300 hours of bright sunshine in July (61% of daylight hours).