Cool Weekend With More Snow Ahead

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Another Alberta Clipper is set to bring 5–10 cm of snow to the Red River Valley this weekend as seasonably cool temperatures continue.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 21Z Friday February 4, 2022
It will be another cold day in southern Manitoba on Friday with highs struggling into the -20 to -25 °C range.

Southern Manitoba will see cold temperatures today as another Arctic high slumps through the region. Daytime highs will sit in the -20 to -25 range this afternoon as northerly winds taper off. Winnipeg will see plenty of sunshine through much of the day.

The next system to impact the region will be an Alberta clipper that develops over Alberta today and dives southeastwards to North Dakota tonight. This system will push a warm front eastwards, spreading cloud cover across southern Manitoba this evening. This system will spread snow into Manitoba overnight as southerly winds pick up to 30 gusting 50 km/h. Temperatures will rise into the -15 to -20 °C range by Saturday morning.

The snow will persist through Saturday morning in the Red River Valley. A bit of blowing snow is possible through the morning hours, but will come to an end as the winds ease by midday. The snow will taper off in the afternoon with a few lingering flurries possible. Note that this system won’t be anywhere near as strong as the last clipper that brought widespread blizzard conditions throughout the region.

RDPS 24hr. Snowfall Accumulation (Kuchera SLR) valid 00Z Sunday February 6, 2022
Southern Manitoba will see more snow on Saturday with around 10 cm likely over the Red River Valley.

Total snow accumulation through the Red River Valley will likely end up close to 10 cm by the time it tapers off.

Temperatures will be a bit milder on Saturday with a high near -14 °C. Northerly winds of 20–30 km/h will move in behind the system on Saturday afternoon and help send temperatures back to a low in the -20 to -25 °C range on Saturday night.

Skies will clear on Sunday as another high moves through the region. Temperatures will climb back to a high in the -15 to -20 °C range.

Long Range Outlook

A potent low pressure system will track across the southern Arctic beginning Sunday night, spreading a much milder air mass across the Prairies as it goes. Temperatures in Winnipeg will rise into the mid-minus teens on Sunday night as moderate southerly winds develop and cloudier skies move in. A bit of light snow is also possible.

Southerly winds will ease a bit on Monday as temperatures soar into the -5 to 0 °C range. Mild weather will continue into Tuesday with highs possibly climbing a degree or two above freezing! A cold front will sweep through the region later in the day, bringing some cooler weather back.

Temperatures will trend back towards seasonal values for the rest of next week.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -10 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -21 °C.

Alberta Clipper Brings Blizzard, Plunging Temperatures

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A potent Alberta Clipper is bringing very strong winds and blowing snow to southern Manitoba this morning. In its wake, a surge of Arctic air will send temperatures plummeting back to bitterly cold values.

RDPS 10m Wind Forecast valid 15Z Tuesday February 1, 2022
Strong northwest winds will bring blizzard conditions to the Red River Valley on Tuesday morning.

Starting the day today, the clipper has moved off to the east and brought strong northwest winds as high as 60 gusting 80 km/h to the Red River Valley. This, combined with the 5–10 cm of snow overnight, is producing widespread blizzard conditions through the Red River Valley. Temperatures have also fallen from a high close to 0 °C near midnight into the -10 to -15 °C range. The snow will taper off today as temperatures continue to fall towards -20 °C by the end of the day.

Those strong winds will ease to 40 gusting 60 km/h by the end of the day. This will ease the blizzard conditions, but areas of poor visibility in blowing snow will likely persist across the region into the evening hours.

The wind will ease Tuesday night as skies clear and temperatures head to a low dipping below -30 °C. Extreme cold warnings may be issued if enough wind persists to hit -40 wind chills (only 10–15 km/h winds will be needed).

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 12Z Thursday February 3, 2022
Bitterly cold temperatures with lows into the -30s will return to southern Manitoba later in the week.

Mid-week will bring plenty of sun but temperatures will stay quite cold with highs in the -20 to -25 °C range and lows dipping into the -30 to -35 °C range. Extreme cold warnings are all but a certainty on Wednesday night.

A weak disturbance will begin to push a little bit of warmer air into the province on Thursday night, bringing some cloud and a chance of some light snow. Skies should clear out again for Friday.

Long Range Outlook

The end of the work week will continue cold, but a substantial push of warm air and cloud will move into the region Friday night. Another 5–10 cm of snow could fall by Saturday evening.

After that, the region will see variable cloudiness with a general warming trend to the forecasts. Next week looks like it could be a return to seasonably mild temperatures with highs climbing back above -10 °C.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -11 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -21 °C.

Pleasant Seasonal Conditions Ahead

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Southern Manitoba will finally see a break from the cold with several days of near-seasonal temperatures ahead.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 21Z Sunday January 30, 2022
A series of low pressure systems will bring progressively warmer conditions to Winnipeg over the next few days.

A series of weak low pressure systems will move through southern Manitoba over the next few days. They will gradually push warmer air into southern Mantioba, alongside some cloudier conditions and occasional snow.

Southern Manitoba will see increasing cloud on Friday night with temperatures warming up close to 10 °C for Saturday. The low moving through the province tomorrow will bring some light snow to the province, but it will mainly move from northern Manitoba to east of Lake Winnipeg. The Red River Valley should just see mainly cloudy skies. Southerly winds tonight will turn northwesterly on Saturday up to around 30 gusting 50 km/h.

Some clearing will move across the region on Saturday night as the low exits the region. This will allow temperatures to head back to a low near the -20 °C mark.

RDPS 24hr. Accumulated Snowfall Forecast (10:1 SLR) valid 00Z February 1, 2022
While snow is possible through the weekend, a stronger low pressure system on Monday will bring the most organized snow to southern Manitoba.

The next low will follow hot on the heels of Saturday’s, spreading more cloud into the region on Sunday morning. This system will a couple centimetres of snow to the region as highs climb into the -5 to -10 °C range. It will be a bit breezy in the Red River Valley with southerly winds near 30 km/h. The snow will clear out for Sunday night, but temperatures will stay steady as a stronger low pressure system moves towards the region from Saskatchewan.

Long Range Outlook

Monday’s low will bring even warmer conditions to Winnipeg on Monday with highs climbing into the 0 to -5 °C range. This system will bring a more intense are of snow to the province on Monday. Beginning over the Parkland region and drifting east-southeast, as much as 10 cm of snow will fall with this system. The Red River Valley will likely sit on the southern flank of the area of snow with 2–5 cm possible.

This system will push a strong cold front through the region on Monday evening, bringing strong northwesterly winds and colder temperatures. Blowing snow could be a concern on Monday night.

The region will plummet back into a period of seasonably cold conditions with daytime highs falling back into the -20 to -25 °C range and overnight lows dipping back towards the -30 °C mark. Some improvement could be seen by the following weekend.

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

Wind and Blowing Snow Usher in Warmer Weather

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The Red River Valley will see another period of strong winds and blowing snow as a surge of mild Pacific air moves into the region.

Before the warmth arrives, though, the region will see another cold day today. Recovering from our cold morning, highs will climb to around -22 °C today under mainly sunny skies. The wind will stay light through the day as an Arctic ridge slumps over the region.

RDPS 10m Wind Forecast valid 12Z Wednesday January 26, 2022
Strong southerly winds will develop over the Red River Valley on Tuesday night.

Conditions will deteriorate tonight as southerly winds strengthen. With warmer air pushing in from the west, southerly outflow winds from the Arctic high will intensify. The wind will pick up to around 30 km/h by midnight, then to 50 gusting 70 km/h by Wednesday morning. These strong winds will combine with the loose snowpack to produce widespread blowing snow across much of the Red River Valley. White-out conditions will be possible in some areas. The worst of the blowing snow will likely be between 5 AM and 10 AM Wednesday morning, followed by improving conditions midday. Temperatures will rise close to the mid-minus teens by the time the sun comes up on Wednesday morning.

Temperatures will continue to rise as the wind and blowing snow eases. A warm front pushing through the region will shift winds towards the west through the day with a high climbing above freezing on Wednesday afternoon. The region should see a fair amount of cloud, but little by way of any notable snowfall.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 21Z Wednesday January 26, 2022
Very mild temperatures will move through the Red River Valley on Wednesday afternoon.

A cold front will then slump through the region on Wednesday evening, shifting winds back to the north with some flurries. A bit of blowing snow is again possible on Wednesday night, but with after a mild day and with slightly weaker winds near 40 gusting 60 km/h, it shouldn’t be as extensive or severe as seen earlier in the day. Temperatures will head back into the -15 to -20 °C range for Thursday morning.

The Winnipeg area will see seasonably cool temperatures for the rest of the work week. Highs will sit near -15 °C with lows dipping into the -20 to -25 °C range. The city should see partly cloudy skies, but more cloud cover will work into the region on Friday evening.

Long Range Outlook

Cloudier conditions will move into the Red River Valley this weekend with seasonably mild conditions. A near-seasonal temperature trend will continue into next week with skies likely staying on the cloudier side.

The general long-wave pattern shows a consistent shift of the polar vortex back to the high Arctic. This should mean that, for the next little while at least, the extremely cold Arctic outbreaks should come to an end!

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