Below-normal temperatures return for the long haul as yet another Arctic air mass settles in over the province. At least we’ll see some sun.

Friday

⇓ -15°C / -22°C

Clearing & windy.

Saturday

-13°C / -24°C

A few clouds.

Sunday

-13°C / -21°C

Mainly sunny.

If I’m really digging for a positive angle for today’s weather, then we’ll go with the fact that it won’t be quite as bad as it looked like it might be. With last night’s system tracking further south than previously expected, significantly less snow has fallen over the Red River Valley and, thanks to that southern track, the winds today won’t be quite as bad as it had looked.

The main story today will be the temperatures and the wind. Our temperature this morning around -10°C will be about as warm as it gets; strong northwesterly winds to 30-40km/h with gusts near 60km/h will usher in very cool air and result in temperatures dropping through the day to around -15°C. Skies will clear fairly early this morning and then we’ll spend the rest of the day under mainly sunny skies. There may be some blowing snow in the Red River Valley today, but the reduced snowfall and winds, coupled with the warmer temperatures of the past few days, should keep its impact fairly minimal. Under clear skies, temperatures will drop to around -22°C tonight.

Tomorrow will bring mostly sunny skies, albeit with a few afternoon clouds, and a high near -13°C. Temperatures will drop to around -22°C again tomorrow night. Sunday will be another sunny, cool day with a high near -13°C and a low of around -21°C.

This cool weather, while not the bone-chilling temperatures we saw in January and February is still quite remarkable. Daytime highs will be nearly 15°C below normal while overnight lows follow suit at around 10-15°C below normal[1].

Below Normal – Get Used to It

While I’d love to say this cold snap is short lived, apparently winter isn’t quite willing to let spring move in yet. While the extreme departure from normal will only last through the weekend, it looks like (for the most part) we’ll see below normal temperatures right through the end of the month.

Temperatures look to warm up to only around 5°C below normal by the middle of next week, but in general don’t expect to see any prolonged springtime warmth until we get into April.