The sudden outbreak in fires have proved detrimental to the Okanagan and the windy nights have provided no help in taming them, but why does the wind stir so heavily at night?

Wesla English, NowMedia meteorologist, explains that breezy afternoons and windy nights can be attributed to the temperature difference between elevation and location, especially temperature difference from across the lake.

This difference is enhanced at dusk when one side of the lake is warmed by the sun while the other is shaded by the mountains. 

"You can imagine how the temperature difference between the two sides of the lake can change when only one side of the lake is in the sun," said English.

"Movement of air (also known as wind) is caused by a difference in pressure – a difference in pressure is reflected by a difference in temperature . . . the [wider] the pressure difference, the stronger the wind."

With cooler air aloft, displacing the warmer pockets of temperature, winds pick up at night – and that is no help to fire season.