The last few days of 2017 in Winnipeg will see a return to very cold temperatures as another Arctic high slides into the Prairies.
Temperatures are heading right back down into the -20s today as northwesterly winds pick up to around 30 km/h as daytime highs climb to only around -23°C, over 5°C colder than yesterday’s high. The wind will combine with the cold temperatures to produce wind chill values in the -34 to -38 range. Skies will be mixed today before clearing this evening as a potent Arctic high pushes into the province. Temperatures will plummet tonight to a low near -33°C; winds will be relatively light, but at those temperatures barely any wind is needed to produce wind chill values in the -40 to -45 range, so we expect extreme cold warnings will be issued by ECCC later today.
Saturday will be a bone chiller and may end up the coldest day of 2017 as Winnipeg remains entrenched under the Arctic high. With sunny skies and light winds, temperatures will barely recover to a high near -28 or -27°C, and once the sun heads back down, temperatures will return to a low near -33°C.
Sunday will see temperatures begin to recover slightly as the Arctic high slumps to the south. Winnipeg will see light westerly winds as temperatures climb to a high near -25°C. Temperatures will remain relatively steady on Sunday night as 2017 comes to a close. The westerly winds will produce wind chill values in the -35 to -40 range, so if you’re going to be outside, make sure you bundle up!
Long Range Outlook
The start of 2018 will continue the trend of below-seasonal conditions, but the worst of the cold will likely be over for the time being. By the end of next week, there’s signs that the cold may finally break and seasonal to above-seasonal temperatures may return to the region with some chances for some light snow.
And that’s it from us for 2017! We’ll be back with a regular forecast on January 1st, followed by some climatological summaries later in the week! Happy new year!
Winnipeg’s seasonal daytime high is currently -13°C while the seasonal overnight low is -23°C.
