Category: Forecasts

More Warm Weather Ahead for Winnipeg

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Winnipeg will continue to see mild conditions with daytime highs close to the freezing mark through the weekend.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 18Z Saturday February 11, 2023
Mild temperatures will move through southern Manitoba on Saturday with highs climbing above freezing in most areas.

A westerly flow aloft will continue to spread mild Pacific air across the Prairies this weekend. This will keep daytime highs seasonably mild in the Red River Valley and keep the storm track just to the north. As a result, Winnipeg and area will see a very pleasant weekend.

Temperatures will climb to around -2 °C in Winnipeg today with a breezy southerly wind near 30 gusting 50 km/h. Although a low pressure system is moving into Manitoba, skies will stay mainly sunny in Winnipeg as most of its cloud stays north of the RRV.

The area will see clear skies tonight as temperatures continue to rise to around +1 °C. The wind will ease overnight and shift to the west by morning.

For Saturday, the day will start off with sunshine and mild weather as temperatures climb a degree or two more. Some cloud will work into the region later in the day as a cold front slumps southwards into the Interlake. No precipitation will fall in Winnipeg, but some light snow or even a rain shower is possible further north.

Temperatures will dip to a low in the -5 to -10 °C range on Saturday night with clear skies.

Sunday will bring more warm weather to the region with a high just a bit cooler than Saturday. The region may see some cloud in the afternoon as a weak push of warmer air moves through.

Skies will clear out on Sunday night with a low again dropping into the -5 to -10 °C range.

Long Range Outlook

More warm weather is on the way for Monday with a light south wind and a high near 0 °C. Cloud will move in on Monday night as the next disturbance to affect southern Manitoba moves into the area.

Tuesday will continue to bring mild temperatures, but some flurries are likely later in the day as a cold front sweeps through the region. Some light snow will continue to be possible on Tuesday night as north winds pick up and usher in a much cooler air mass.

The flurries will taper off mid-week with highs dropping back towards seasonal values. Temperatures will likely stay near seasonal values into the weekend.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -9 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -19 °C.

Fantastic February Weather Ahead

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Winnipeg will see great weather this week with mild temperatures and a mix of sun and cloud.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 21Z Tuesday February 7, 2023
Mild temperatures continue to stream across the Canadian Prairies today.

With the Polar Vortex now displaced well away from our region, milder Pacific air continues to wash across the Prairies. This has brought daytime highs up to around the freezing mark where they’ll stay for much of this week!

Daytime highs in Winnipeg will hover around the freezing mark for a couple more days. The region will see some sun today and cloudier skies tomorrow. Overnight lows will also be mild for this time of year and dip down only into the mid-minus single digits.

On Wednesday night, a passing low pressure system will bring som light snow to southern Manitoba as it drags a cold front through the region. Moderate northerly winds with some light snow will move through overnight and taper off early Thursday morning. In the wake of this system it will be a bit cooler with temperatures dropping through Thursday morning close to -10 °C.

With clear skies, it will be a seasonably chilly night on Thursday night with a low near -20 °C.

Long Range Outlook

The cool-down will be short-lived, though! Friday will bring seasonable conditions to the region with a high near -10 °C under mixed skies. An increasing southerly wind will usher in warmer weather again on Friday night with temperatures climbing through the night. Winnipeg will likely warm up to around -5 °C by Saturday morning then climb to a high around freezing in the afternoon. Some cloud will move into the region on Sunday, bringing a chance of some light snow to the region with highs again near freezing.

The warmer weather looks to stick around into the middle of nexts week. After that, a passing low pressure system may bring some accumulating snow to the region and a return to more seasonal conditions.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -10 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -20 °C.

Cold Week Ahead for Winnipeg

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It will be a cold week ahead in the city as the Polar Vortex continues to supply the region with Arctic air.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 21Z Thursday February 2, 2023
One last surge of bitter cold will spread across the Prairies for Thursday before this outbreak of Arctic air begins to weaken.

The Polar Vortex will remain entrenched over Canada’s eastern Arctic region this week, sustaining a persist northwesterly flow across the Prairies. This will keep temperatures well below seasonal averages through the rest of the week.

Daytime highs will vary through the week, ranging from a few degrees on the warm side of -20 °C on Wednesday to a much colder high near -25 °C on Thursday. Overnight lows will generally sit in the -25 to -30 °C range, though lows could reach into the -30s tonight.

The slightly warmer weather on Wednesday will be courtesy a weak disturbance moving through the region. It will bring cloud cover and a bit of light snow to the region as it moves through. The bigger impact it will bring to the region will be a strong cold front that sweeps through on Wednesday night. It will bring moderate northerly winds to the region, some blowing snow, and plummeting temperatures.

That cold air mass that moves in behind is what will keep the daytime highs so low on Thursday. Temperatures will likely dip back below -30 °C on Thursday night again.

On Friday, cloudier skies will move into the region as a slow pattern change begins to take shape. Temperatures will likely climb back into the -15 to -20 °C range, but a stiff southerly wind will make it feel pretty cold outside.

Long Range Outlook

I mentioned last week that it looked like the polar vortex would begin to destabilize heading into this weekend. Fortunately, that still looks to be the case; by the end of the week, its structure looks to become far more wobbly and will likely be pulled northwards back towards the pole by the end of the weekend.

As a result, we’ll likely see the worst of the cold leave the region this weekend, leaving behind closer to seasonal temperatures across much of the Prairies. There may be a bit of light snow through this process, but at this time no significant snowfalls are in the forecast.

Layer up and stay warm this week; relief is on the horizon!

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -11 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -22 °C.

Here Comes the Deep Freeze

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A surge of bitterly cold Arctic air will send temperatures plummeting across southern Manitoba this weekend. The upside is that the cold weather may not last too long…

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 12Z Friday January 27, 2023RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 12Z Saturday January 28, 2023
Moderate northerly winds will help a pool of bitterly cold Arctic air surge southwards today. Lows may reach as cold as -30 to -35 °C on Saturday morning.

Much colder weather is on the way to Southern Manitoba in the wake of the snow that moved through yesterday evening. The clipper system that brought a coating of snow to the region was the harbinger ahead of an Arctic air mass dropping southwards into the Prairies. Its approach today will be marked by moderate to strong northerly winds near 40 gusting 60 km/h and gradually cooling temperatures.

The moderate winds, temperatures in the -10 to -15 °C range, and very fluffy snow from yesterday will combine to produce widespread blowing snow through the Red River Valley today. Conditions in Winnipeg will fare better, but even parts of the Perimeter Highway may see deteriorating travel conditions at times today.

Temperatures will continue drop tonight as an Arctic ridge builds into the Prairies. Lows will drop all the way to around -30 °C with mainly clear skies and easing winds.

Saturday will bring sunny skies to the region with a high climbing just short of -20 °C. Winds will stay light through the day. Some cloud cover will build into the region on Saturday night as an upper trough slumps into the area. This will help keep overnight lows a tad warmer, but some of that effect will be offset by a surge of colder air heading into the region as well. The overnight low on Saturday night will likely end up somewhere in the -25 to -30 °C range.

Winnipeg will likely see partly cloudy skies on Sunday with a high a degree or two cooler than Saturday. Skies will clear out for Sunday night and allow overnight lows to likely dip into the -30 to -35 °C range.

Extreme cold warnings are likely at some point over the coming days as the overnight low temperatures will make it fairly trivial to reach -40 wind chill values.

Long Range Outlook

The first half of next week will continue to be cold with daytime highs near -20 °C or colder with mainly sunny conditions. Heading into the second half of the week, though, there may be some improvement.

Long-range weather models all show the driving feature for this cold snap — the Polar Vortex situated over Canada’s Eastern Arctic — weakening towards the end of the week. If that happens, then temperatures would likely moderate with highs into the mid-minus teens by the end of the week. One can hope at least.

Get the long johns and snow pants out, here comes winter!

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -12 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -23 °C.