A Brief Cold Snap Followed By A Warmer Weekend

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Winnipeg will see a few cold days in the wake of yesterday’s Colorado Low, followed by a return to milder conditions on the weekend.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 12Z Wednesday October 26, 2022
The Prairies will be flooded with colder air behind the departing Colorado Low. Overnight lows will drop below freezing almost everywhere in the region, with some fairly cold temperatures over far northern Manitoba.

A push of colder air will settle over southern Manitoba in the wake of yesterday’s Colorado Low that moved through the province. With light west-northwest winds, daytime highs will only climb into the low single digits today and tomorrow. Skies will stay on the cloudier side as well, making for a rather chilly couple days. It should stay dry, but some lake-effect snow will be possible in the lee of both Lake Manitoba and Lake Winnipeg. The city will likely miss out on this activity, but some persistent flurries will definitely be possible to the north.

The cloud cover over the region will help keep it from getting too cold at night with lows close to -5 °C on both Tuesday night and Wednesday night. If some clear patches open up, then temperatures could dip closer to -10 °C.

Later this week, a zonal flow aloft will develop over the Prairies, cutting off the pipeline of Arctic air and allowing milder Pacific air into the region. On Thursday, that should allow highs to climb back to seasonal values in the upper single digits with more sunshine. It may get a bit windier out of the south, but that will help keep lows above freezing into Friday.

Long Range Outlook

By Friday, it looks like Winnipeg and area could be enjoying daytime highs in the low to mid-teens with mainly sunny skies. This pleasant and dry pattern will persist right through the weekend with highs continuing in the low teens. Long-range forecasts show a disturbance moving through the region on Tuesday, bringing some showers and a return to seasonal temperatures.

That said, aside from the next couple days, it looks like Winnipeg will be closing out October with beautiful weather. If early indications hold, Halloween could be one of the better ones this year with temperatures near 10 °C through the evening!

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is 7 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -3 °C.

Mild Friday, Then Colorado Low Looms

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It will be another relatively mild day in Winnipeg today, but a developing Colorado Low will begin to impact the region this weekend.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 21Z Sunday October 23, 2022
A potent Colorado Low system will develop over the course of the weekend and begin moving into the province later on Sunday.

A sunny start to the day will give way to increasing cloud this afternoon in Winnipeg today. Temperatures will stay mild with a high in the low to mid-teens and westerly winds around 20 km/h.

As cloud continues to thicken up this evening, it will mark the low arrival of a developing Colorado Low. With a low down to the mid-single digits, rain showers will begin to blossom across southern Manitoba late Friday night. Driven by a warm front lifting through North Dakota, these showers will push northeast through Saturday morning. Rainfall accumulations won’t be too significant at just a couple millimetres as the showers taper off in the afternoon.

Temperatures on Saturday will climb into the low teens with a wind picking up out of the northeast into the 15 to 25 km/h range. Temperatures will head down to a low in the mid-single digits again on Saturday night under cloudy skies.

On Sunday, skies will stay cloudy as a warm front surges northwards across the American Plains. By late afternoon, this front will arc from the Dakotas across northern Minnesota and Lake Superior. This will strengthen the northeasterly winds in southern Manitoba into the 30 to 40 km/h range for the day. It will also help to support a band of precipitation stretching from southeastern Saskatchewan across Western Manitoba. This will fall as a mix of rain and snow over Saskatchewan, trending toward snow as Sunday evening wears on and the precipitation moves into Manitoba.

On Sunday night, the brunt of this system will begin to impact Manitoba . Temperatures will remain warm in the Red River Valley as the low lifts northwards; Winnipeg will only dip into the mid- to upper single digits overnight. Rain will likely develop across the region Sunday night, but west of Brandon the precipitation will transition to snow. Here in the Red River Valley, rain could be heavy at times depending on how the system develops.

Long Range Outlook

Rain or drizzle will continue across the Red River Valley on Monday as the low centre passes through the province. Once the low is by, strong northwest winds will develop and usher in much cooler temperatures. Some snow may mix into the precipitation later in the day. Temperatures will dip back below freezing on Monday night. A bit of rain or snow is also possible on Tuesday before things finally settle down.

Much cooler conditions are in store for the rest of the week with daytime highs only reaching the mid-single digits. It will likely stay on the cloudier side, so overnight lows won’t be too bad, dipping just a couple degrees below zero or so. If we end up with a clear night next week, we could see overnight lows dip back into the -5 to -10 °C range.

So…enjoy the weather out there today; it’ll only get less pleasant as the weekend progresses!

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is 8 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -2 °C.

Warmer Weather Ahead

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The Arctic ridge bringing seasonably cold temperatures to southern Mantioba will head out later this week. In its wake? Much warmer weather will return as temperatures climb back above seasonal values.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 21Z Tuesday October 18, 2022
The colder weather will hang on for one more day in southern Manitoba, then warmer air will push into the region from the west.

Today will bring more cold weather; the Arctic high hasn’t quite left the region yet and will keep highs in the low single digits. Winds will be light and skies will be mostly sunny, so it shouldn’t be a bad day overall.

Beginning Wednesday, the Arctic high will start moving out of the region and the broader long-wave pattern will begin to break down. This will cut off the pipeline of Arctic air that’s been entrenched over the region and begin to allow milder air from the west to build in.

Wednesday will bring near-seasonal highs back to Winnipeg with a high near 10 °C. The winds won’t even be too much of an issue with light southerlies of 15 to 25 km/h. There will be a bit more cloud than Tuesday, so expected partly cloudy to mixed skies. Temperatures will still likely fall below zero again on Wednesday night.

On Thursday, a weak disturbance will drop southeastwards through the province. Temperatures will be similar to Wednesday, but most areas will see a mainly cloudy day. The cloud cover will keep it warmer on Thursday night with a low in the mid-single digits. 

Long Range Outlook

The sun will reappear on Friday across southern Manitoba while a potent low pressure system begins to develop in Alberta. As it tracks eastwards over the weekend, it will draw warmer air into southern Manitoba. Daytime highs will likely climb into the upper teens by Sunday with increasing southeasterly winds.

It should stay dry through the weekend, but as the system passes on Sunday night, the weather will turn more unsettled. Rain and/or snow will be possible to start off next week as cooler temperatures once again push back into the region.

The timing of this system could change a bit in the days ahead given how far out it is, but the general trend of warming into the weekend, then a notable cool-down by the middle of next week looks fairly reliable.

Enjoy nicer late-fall weather ahead!

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is 9 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -1 °C.

Seasonably Cool and Wet Weather Continues

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A series of slow-moving low pressure systems will continue to bring cool conditions and periods of wet weather to southern Manitoba.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 21Z Saturday October 15, 2022
A persistent northwesterly wind over the next few days will continue to funnel cool, Arctic air southwards over Manitoba.

We’re back from our break over the long weekend and, well, we hope you enjoyed the beautiful Thanksgiving weather. Now a distant memory, a series of low pressure systems are bringing much colder weather to the region.

A band of lake-effect precipitation from Lake Winnipeg will shift across the region today as winds shift to the north. This will bring a chance of flurries or showers to Winnipeg through the morning. Skies will stay cloudy most of the day, but the chance for any more precipitation should diminish into the afternoon. Temperatures will climb into the mid-single digits with easing winds.

The reprieve will be short lived, though. Another low pressure system will begin dropping southwards into central Manitoba tonight, spreading more rain southwards for Saturday. Most of the precipitation will fall east of Winnipeg, but the city will see a chance of seeing some rain. If the main area of rain from the system doesn’t affect the city, lake-effect squalls developing it its wake could. Temperatures will be warmer on Saturday with a high of 7 or 8 °C even though skies stay cloudy. Northwest winds of 20 to 30 km/h will persist through the day.

This entire complex of systems will finally begin to shift out of the region on Sunday. Unfortunately, that will also come with an Arctic high pushing into the region. Moderate northwest winds ahead of the high will usher cooler air into the region on Sunday, keeping daytime highs in the low single digits. The cloud cover will gradually break up, allowing temperatures to fall well below freezing on Sunday night.

Long Range Outlook

The cool weather will continue on Monday with highs in the low single digits, but the winds will be much lighter. Cool conditions will continue for Tuesday, then a return to more seasonal temperatures will arrive midweek. Drier weather should also return with the seasonal temperatures.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is 11 °C while the seasonal overnight low is 0 °C.