Winnipeg will finally break out of the 6°C lock that we’ve had on daytime highs for the past few days and see daytime highs return closer to seasonal values of 9°C. That warmer weather will, unfortunately, also come with increasingly unsettled conditions, with multiple chances for rain in the coming days. This weekend has Winnipeg host to the 2016 Tim Horton’s Heritage Classic; will the games thread the rain needle or will attendees need to bring an umbrella? Read on to find out!
Warmer temperatures will finally make an appearance in Winnipeg today as milder air is carried eastwards by a trough of low pressure pushing eastwards across the Prairies. Before we get to them, however, windy and wet conditions will move through first.
Winds will pick up out of the south to 30-40 km/h this morning, with showers developing over Western Manitoba and pushing into the Red River Valley late this morning. The showers will taper off early- to mid-afternoon with winds tapering off. Temperatures will climb up to around 10°C by late this afternoon.
Expect mainly clear skies overnight as temperatures drop down to a low near 2°C. Its possible that some fog patches or stratus cloud forms early Saturday morning.
Saturday brings the first game of the Heritage Classic, set to start at 3:00PM. Assuming skies stay clear tonight, then Saturday should bring increasing cloud through the late morning into the early afternoon. By game start, skies will be mostly cloudy with a temperature near 10°C. Rain will start pushing into the province through the afternoon, but it should remain west of the Red River Valley until around 6-7PM.
Saturday night will bring periods of rain and a low near 4°C. Rainfall totals of 2-5mm seem likely by Sunday morning.
Sunday will continue with seasonal highs and clearing skies. There may be a few lingering showers early in the morning, but they should taper off quickly, leaving a fairly pleasant day with the sun breaking through in the afternoon and a high near 8 or 9°C. Winds will pick up out of the northwest to 20-30 km/h for the afternoon. While it will be a bit cooler than Saturday, overall it will be relatively pleasant conditions for the second Heritage Classic game, which starts at 2:00PM.
Sunday night should bring mainly clear skies, light winds, and a low near 0°C.
Long Range
The start of next week currently looks like it will bring seasonal temperatures and variable cloudiness. Conditions may become a little more unsettled through the latter half of the week, but at least it appears that any precipitation we may see will be rain instead of the alternative!
Winnipeg’s seasonal daytime high is currently 8°C while the seasonal overnight low is -2°C.
