Environment Canada has issued a “severe thunderstorm watch” for the Kamloops area.

Forecaster Bobby Sehkon says the notice includes the South Thompson, the Shuswap and the North Thompson to about Barriere.

“That’s for a risk of heavy downpours, upwards of 15 millimetres an hour. It could be some hail as well, up to two centimetres in size, or also some gusts possible, up to 80 kilometres an hour.”

Sehkon says forecasters are looking at the late-afternoon and early-evening as when thunderstorms could move in. He says the watch would be upgraded to a “warning” if a storm is happening.

“It also has the potential of going later into the evening, but that’s probably going to be further east. As the afternoon progresses and you start to see the skies maybe fill in a little more, that’s when we’ll start to get a little more concern. Like I say, the ingredients are there, but let’s see if anything happens.”