Seasonal Temperatures on Friday Give Way to a Warm Weekend

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Winnipeg will end the work week with near-seasonal temperatures, but more warmth is on the way for the weekend.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 21Z Saturday February 24, 2024
A low pressure system crossing the southern Arctic into Hudson Bay will drag another wave of mild air into southern Manitoba this weekend.

An Arctic high slumping through southern Manitoba will bring near-seasonal temperatures to the region with daytime highs comfortably in the -10 to -5 °C range. Skies will be sunny with light winds that begin to pick up out of the south in the evening.

A strong low pressure system will begin tracking eastwards through the southern Arctic today, and by tonight it will start dragging a warm front across southern Manitoba. Temperatures will dip to a low near -10 °C tonight, then climb into the -5 to 0 °C range by Saturday morning as the warm air pushes into the Red River Valley.

Saturday will bring partly cloudy skies to the region with highs jumping up into the mid-single digits. Breezy southerly winds will shift westerly through the day, hovering in the 20 to 30 km/h range. A weak cold front will slump through the region on Saturday evening. Temperatures will dip to a low in the -10 to -5 °C range overnight.

A ridge of high pressure will cross the region on Sunday, bringing light winds and a high near freezing. Skies will again be partly cloudy but otherwise there will be little weather to talk about to end the weekend.

On Sunday night, a potent Alberta Clipper is forecast to begin ejecting eastwards across the Prairies; it will bring much warmer air surging northwards into the Prairies ahead of it as it tracks towards Manitoba overnight. This warmer air pushing into the region will keep overnight lows mild in the -5 to 0 °C range with cloud building in as moderate southeast winds pick up.

Long Range Outlook

Monday’s weather in Winnipeg will be dependent on the exact track of the Alberta clipper. If it tracks more southerly, then the city will see cloudy skies and likely morning snow as the warm front slides through and evening snow as the system’s cold front slams through. In this case, a daytime high near 5 °C wouldn’t be unreasonable.

If, against the odds, the system tracks more northerly, then Winnipeg may escape the morning snow and see temperatures soar into the upper single digits as southwest winds mix mild Pacific air to the surface. Either way, a potent cold front will slam through in the evening and bring strong northwest winds and plummeting temperatures.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 12Z Monday February 26, 2024
A potent Alberta Clipper will cross the Prairies on Monday, bringing more mild weather to the south while bitterly cold temperatures push into the north.

A huge Arctic high will slump into the region behind the clipper, sending temperatures plummeting rapidly. Temperatures will likely drop into the -20 to -15 °C range on Monday night, barely recover on Tuesday, and then drop into the mid-minus 20s on Tuesday night.

This clipper will likely bring a swath of 10 to 20 cm of snow across the central Prairies, but along the Trans-Canada Highway corridor and areas south, there’s more uncertainty with amounts and whether the precipitation will be rain or snow.

The cold snap will be short lived after this system as the upper pattern continues to favour progressive systems. Wednesday will bring below-seasonal highs to the region for another day, then a warmup begins heading towards the weekend!

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -6 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -17 °C.

Warm Weather Continues for Winnipeg

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It will be a warm week in Winnipeg with seasonably warm temperatures continuing.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 18Z Thursday February 22, 2024
Temperatures will climb back above freezing on Thursday, but a strong cold front will move through later in the day.

Sorry that we’re a day late, but fortunately, the weather’s a broken record these days and we didn’t miss much. The weather through the rest of the work week will be driven by a low pressure system moving through northern Manitoba over the next 24 to 48 hours. As it moves into the province today, more warm air will spread into southern Manitoba. This will bring cloudier skies to Winnipeg and area as temperatures climb to a high close to the freezing mark this afternoon. The cloud cover will break up tonight as westerly winds pick up and temperatures fall to a low in the -10 to -5 °C range.

On Thursday, with Winnipeg firmly in the warm sector of this system temperatures will quickly climb to a high just above freezing before a cold front sweeps through later in the afternoon. The cold front will bring some cloud and a chance of flurries to the region as it moves through, along with northerly winds to around 30 gusting 50 km/h. Skies will clear quickly behind the front as an Arctic high drops southwards through the province. Temperatures will head to a low in the -20 to -15 °C range with light winds on Thursday night.

For Friday, the region will see near-seasonal temperatures with a high near -7 °C under mainly sunny skies. Southerly winds will strengthen through the day in the return flow from the departing high. Another low pressure system tracking through the north will be pushing a warm front eastwards into the province through the day. By Friday evening, the warm front will likely be draped through western Manitoba; it will continue to push eastwards through the night, bringing more cloud to the Red River Valley but keeping overnight lows mild near -10 °C.

Long Range Outlook

Winnipeg will move into the warm sector of this second low pressure system on Saturday. The warmer air mass should combine with moderate westerly winds to help send daytime highs well above freezing; Winnipeg will likely see temperatures climb into the 5 to 10 °C range on Saturday afternoon.

The warmest air will move out of the region on Saturday night, but it will stay mild across the region. Sunday should bring daytime highs closer to 0 °C to the region.

Next week wills tart warm, but a strong cold front is forecast to move through on Tuesday. This would usher an Arctic air mass back into the Prairies and send temperatures tack to below-seasonal values for a couple days. That said, the cold snap is expected to be short with milder weather returning by the end of the week.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -7 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -17 °C.

Warmer Weather Returns Quickly to Winnipeg

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It’s a cold start to the day in Winnipeg, but the first cold night marks the end of this cold snap; warmer weather is surging back across the Prairies.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 21Z Saturday February 17, 2024
Warmer weather will spread across southern Manitoba on Saturday.

The cold weather this morning will break quickly as westerly winds move into the region with a warm front pushing through. Temperatures will warm from the mid-minus 20s this morning to an afternoon high near -10 °C. Westerly winds will pick up through the day to around 30 km/h in Winnipeg. The sun will make an appearance this morning, but skies will cloud over through the day.

The winds will continue through the night with temperatures near -10 °C. There will be a chance of flurries overnight.

Saturday will bring cloudy skies to Winnipeg with a few sunny breaks possible in the afternoon. Behind the warm front, daytime highs will climb into the -5 to 0 °C range with breezy westerly winds up to 40 km/h.   Temperatures will then dip to a low near -10 °C under partly cloudy skies on Saturday night.

Light northerly winds will continue on Sunday with a cooler high than Saturday, topping out near -5 °C in the afternoon. Winnipeg should see plenty of sunshine, though, which will be a nice change from the recent warmth. It will be another cool night on Sunday night as a cold front slumps through southern Manitoba. Overnight lows will likely dip into the -20 to -15 °C range with mainly clear skies.

Long Range Outlook

An upper ridge will continue to build across the Prairies next week, keeping temperatures near to slightly above-normal through the first half of the week. A cold front will begin to slump southwards mid-week, bringing a chance of snow to the region followed by cooler temperatures to end the week.

The pattern after that is uncertain, but it looks like the region could be in for near-seasonal temperatures with more frequent chances for snow heading through the weekend and into next week.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -8 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -18 °C.

Light Snow Leads to Brief Cold Snap

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A disturbance passing through southern Manitoba later today will bring light snow followed by moderate northwest winds. Colder air will slump into the region behind it for the end of the work week, but temperatures will rebound quickly through the weekend.

RDPS 24hr. Snowfall Forecast (10:1 SLR) valid 12Z Wednesday February 14, 2024
A low pressure system will leave a swath of fresh snow across southern Manitoba on Tuesday.

Winnipeg will sit under mainly cloudy skies today with southerly winds picking up to around 30 km/h ahead of a low pressure system moving in from the west. Temperatures will be mild with highs near -4 °C this afternoon. Light snow will move across southwest Manitoba today and reach Winnipeg by mid- to late-afternoon.

The snow will continue eastwards through the evening, tapering off to flurries overnight with around 2–3 cm of fresh snow left behind. Temperatures will dip to lows in the -10 to -5 °C range across the Red River Valley tonight.

It will be pleasant on Wednesday with highs again near -5 °C and westerly winds in the 20 to 30 km/h range. With that warmth will come more cloudy skies, though. A cold front will sweep through the region later Wednesday, bringing breezy northwest winds and cooling temperatures. Skies will likely clear out on Wednesday night, letting temperatures drop to a low in the mid-minus teens.

Thursday will finally bring sunshine to the region with northwest winds of 20 to 30 km/h and a high in the -15 to -10 °C range. Unfortunately, those winds will make it feel like it’s in the -20s. An Arctic high will continue to slump southwards through the Prairies through Thursday night; as it drops south, the winds will ease in southern Manitoba and temperatures will head to a low likely near -25 °C.

Long Range Outlook

Southern Manitoba will be under the grip of the Arctic high on Friday. The region will see plenty of sunshine with highs that struggle to climb into the -20 to -15 °C range.

The axis of coldest air will then shift off to the east for the weekend. Temperatures will return to near-seasonal values with breezy westerly winds on Saturday. The near-seasonal temperatures should persist into next week, then likely be followed with another surge of Pacific air that will send temperatures back towards freezing.

Fortunately, it looks like the region should see plenty of sun this weekend which will be a welcome change from the copious amounts of cloud cover the region has seen over the last while!

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