After one more cool day, breezy southerly winds develop and usher seasonal temperatures back into the region.
A ridge of high pressure moving through southern Manitoba today will keep winds light and temperatures cool. In Winnipeg, the high will sit near 5°C. With so much moisture stuck in the region, skies should remain mostly cloudy through the day. A light southeasterly wind will develop tonight with temperatures dipping to a low near 0°C.
A warm front will move across Manitoba on Thursday, bringing breezy southerly winds. Warm air will push eastwards into the region as the wind increases into the 30 to 40 km/h range. Temperatures will climb to a high near 11°C in Winnipeg, continuing to rapidly melt the remaining snowpack. Winnipeg will see a bit of sun through the day as the clouds giving way to mixed skies. On Thursday night, the cloud cover will thicken back up with breezy winds continuing. This combination of cloud and wind will keep temperatures warmer with a low near 6°C in Winnipeg.
Breezy southerly winds will develop over the Red River Valley on Thursday.
On Friday, a broad trough of low pressure will move across the region. With cloudy skies, temperatures will continue at near seasonal values. Winnipeg should see a high near 11°C again with the southerly winds gradually easing. No significant precipitation is expected, but some scattered light rain is possible. Skies will become mixed again on Saturday night as a westerly wind builds into the region behind a weak cold front. Temperatures will dip down to a low near 5°C.
Long Range Outlook
Seasonal conditions will continue into the weekend with highs in the low teens and overnight lows in the low to mid-single digits. The region should see some sun return for Saturday, but another disturbance moving into the region on Sunday will bring more cloud with a chance of light rain, particularly overnight into Monday.
Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is 10°C while the seasonal overnight low is 0°C.
Southern Manitoba will continue to see plenty of cloud cover as the region continues to clean up after the historic winter storm last week.
Another low pressure system crossing the Prairies will keep Winnipeg locked under cloudy skies for the next few days. Between the lack of sun and the new snow pack covering the region, temperatures will stay well below seasonal averages. Over the next few days daytime highs will hover near 4°C while low dip to around freezing.
Winds won’t be much of an issue the next while, either. Light southerlies will persist today, switching to northerly on Tuesday as the low passes. Northwest winds of 20 to 30 km/h will develop for Tuesday, but a ridge of high pressure will bring light winds for Tuesday night into Wednesday.
Cooler daytime highs will occur over the fresh snowpack in southern Manitoba and North Dakota.
The only notable weather will be as the low moves through tonight into Tuesday. A wintery mix of light precipitation will move through the Red River Valley overnight, leaving behind a chance of scattered rain showers or flurries for Tuesday. Accumulations will generally be light with 1 to 3 mm for most areas, but a narrow band of 5 to 10 mm may develop along the low track. The heaviest precipitation will remain south of Winnipeg, but whether it occurs in southern Manitoba versus North Dakota is still questionable.
Long Range Outlook
The sun will attempt to reappear in the latter half of the week as warmer air pushes eastwards across the Prairies. Exactly how warm temperatures are able to climb will depend on how much snow remains on the ground. More snow will mean temperatures stay locked into the low single digits. For any areas that are able to eliminate much of the snow pack, highs could climb into the low teens.
No precipitation is expected through the latter half of the week.
Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is 11°C while the seasonal overnight low is 0°C.
A Colorado Low is bringing a major early-season winter storm to southern Manitoba that ranges from rain to a crippling blizzard.
Because the storm is ongoing and long-lasting, we are not issuing a standard forecast today. This is a complex and dynamic system that requires constant monitoring as the snow/rain line wiggles around the region. We strongly encourage you check your local weather forecast from ECCC and the weather warnings in your area.
As a general overview, a Colorado Low will gradually move into southeastern Manitoba today. Waves of rain will spread westwards, transitioning into moderate to heavy snow over the Red River Valley and areas west. Storm total snowfall will range from a trace all the way up to in excess of 50 cm. The most snow will fall in upslope areas of the Turtle Mountains, Riding Mountains, and the western escarpment of the Red River Valley. The snow that is falling will be wet, heavy snow, resulting in significant snow loading on trees and infrastructure.
Complicating matters will be strong north-northwest winds with widespread gusts in the 70 to 90 km/h range. These strong winds, combined with the heavy snow, will produce poor visibilities and an elevated risk of damage to trees an infrastructure. Over 23,000 people were without power on Thursday evening and the widespread power outages will likely continue today as well.
Heavy snow will continue over southern Manitoba today with the hardest hit areas extending from the western Red River Valley region southwards into eastern North Dakota.
The storm will gradually ease across the region on Saturday, leaving just a few flurries or showers for Sunday.
Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is 12°C while the seasonal overnight low is +1°C.
A potent Colorado low will bring the first blast of winter to southern Manitoba in the form of a high-impact storm.
A developing Colorado Low will spread several waves of precipitation across southern Manitoba over the next few days. It all begins later today as light rain moves into the Red River Valley from the west.1 The rain will weaken overnight, but the next wave of precipitation will surge northwards early Thursday. This will fall as rain over SE Manitoba and change to snow across the Red River Valley. For many areas, it likely means a winter mix through the day.
Forecast precipitation amounts are high, with 15 to 25 mm forecast for the region. Any areas that see more of this as snow than rain could end up with a good 10 to 15 cm of wet, heavy snow by the end of the day. In Winnipeg, it looks likely that the city will see a mix of rain and snow through much of the day, changing to snow at night.
Another wave of precipitation will move through on Friday, bringing more rain and snow to the region. Another 15 to 30 mm is possible Thursday night through Friday, bringing storm-total precipitation into the 30 to 50 mm range.
Regardless of what form it takes, a lot more water is on the way for southern Manitoba.
Where exactly the transition from snow to rain occurs will need to be determined as the event itself develops, but we feel this is the most likely outcome. Different areas will see varying amounts of snow and snow accumulation based on where that line sets up. In the hardest hit areas, snowfall in excess of 25 cm may be possible. As mentioned before, the snow will be heavy and wet. Other areas may see upwards of 50 mm of rain. No matter how it falls, a lot more water is on the way for southern Manitoba.
Follow our twitter account for short-form updates as this system develops. If you are travelling in the coming days, know that the weather will be similarly poor across eastern North Dakota and adverse to dangerous driving conditions may develop.
In addition the precipitation, this storm will bring strong northerly winds and cool temperatures.
The cooler air will surge into the region today, sending temperatures falling to +4°C by the end of the afternoon. As the precipitation moves in tonight, temperatures should fall further to around +1°C by Thursday morning. Through the rest of the work week, temperatures will hover within a degree or two of the 0°C mark.
Winds will pick up out of the north into the 30 to 40 km/h range today, then strengthen to 40 gusting 60 km/h on Thursday. On Friday, winds may reach 50 gusting 70 km/h in some areas, especially in the lee of the lakes. In areas where these strong winds can combine with snow, visibilities will be severely restricted and the winds may produce damage add stress above and beyond the heavy loading from the wet snow.
One of the larger areas of uncertainty is on Friday. Forecast models diverge on where exactly the low centre goes, and some are bringing it relatively far west into southeastern Manitoba. If that occurred, it would be likely that Winnipeg, the eastern Red River Valley, and the southeastern corner of the province would be spared from much of the precipitation. We’ll be keeping an eye on things to see how they develop.
Long Range Outlook
A wintery mix of precipitation will likely persist through much of Saturday, tapering off to a chance of showers or flurries on Sunday. Temperatures will remain cool with highs of just 2 or 3°C and lows near +1°C. No significant precipitation is forecast into next week, although temperatures will remain well below seasonal values right into the end of the work week.
Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is 12°C while the seasonal overnight low is 1°C.
West of the Red River Valley, it will fall as snow instead. ↩
