Alberta Clipper Brings Winter Storm And Bitter Cold

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An Alberta clipper is bringing heavy snow to the province, but the worst conditions will arrive upon its exit. Blizzard conditions will develop Tuesday afternoon, followed by bitterly cold temperatures mid-week.

RDPS 24hr. Snow Accumulation Forecast (10:1 SLR) valid 00Z Wednesday January 19, 2022
Heavy snow will taper off over the Red RIver Valley this morning with a widespread 10–15 cm storm-total accumulation.

The heavy snow has arrived in the Red River Valley and will continue until around midday. The heaviest snow will exit to the east with the clipper itself, but a few flurries will continue through the day. Conditions will continue to deteriorate behind the low as northerly winds increasing to 50 gusting 70 km/h.

Widespread blowing snow will develop on Tuesday afternoon from the Parkland region into the Red River Valley. The worst visibilities will occur in the Red River Valley Tuesday evening through the night. Ample quantities of fresh snow combined with howling northwesterly winds and falling temperatures will produce [near-]blizzard conditions. It will be a unpleasant and dangerous night out in the open.

RDPS 10m Wind Forecast valid 21Z Tuesday January 18, 2022
Strong northwest winds will likely produce blizzard conditions through the Red River Valley beginning on Tuesday afternoon.

Temperatures will reach a high in the -5 to -10 °C range early Tuesday, then fall through the rest of the day. The region will see lows into the -20 to -25 °C range by Wednesday morning.

The winds will begin to ease Wednesday morning, bringing an end to the blowing snow. It will be cold on Wednesday with temperatures barely recovering a few degrees from the overnight low as skies clear. Temperatures will plummet down below -30 °C on Wednesday night. Extreme cold warnings are likely across much of southern Manitoba on Wednesday night as wind chill values of -40 to -45 will be widespread.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 12Z Thursday January 20, 2022
Bitterly cold temperatures will return to southern Manitoba on Wednesday night with lows dipping below the -30 °C mark.

Thursday will also be cold with highs in the -20 to -25 °C range and light southerly winds. A warm front pushing across the Prairies will bring cloud to the region on Thursday night with temperatures rising close to -10 °C by Friday morning. That warmer weather won’t come without a cost, though. As it moves into the region on Thursday night, southerly winds will strengthen into the 40–50 km/h range.

Long Range Outlook

The winds will ease on Friday with a high in the -5 to -10 °C range. Some snow will move through southern Manitoba — perhaps close to 5 cm — followed by a cold front later in the day. Northwest winds near 30 gusting 50 km/h will move in behind the front, sending lows back into the -20 to -25 °C range overnight.

The weekend will bring seasonably cool conditions with highs in the -15 to 20 °C range and overnight lows near the -20 to -25 °C range. Saturday should bring sunshine, but some flurries may be possible on Sunday as another disturbance brushes by the region.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -13 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -23 °C.

Warmer Weekend Ahead for Winnipeg, Then Cold Air Returns

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Above seasonal temperatures will return to Winnipeg this weekend, but then the Polar Vortex will bring another blast of Arctic air to the Prairies.

Winnipeg will see a seasonably cool conditions today as an Arctic ridge slumps southwards through the day. Temperatures will climb into the mid-teens with mixed morning skies giving way to more consistent sunshine in the afternoon. There’s a small chance of a few flurries with the morning cloud, but any amounts would be very limited.

The next “big” weather system will begin moving into the area on Saturday. Southerly winds will strengthen tonight as a swell of warmer air begins pushing across the Prairies from the northwest. This will bring cloudier conditions back to the region this weekend, but much warmer weather. Temperatures will climb into the -10 to -5 °C range Saturday afternoon, then further to near freezing by Sunday morning. The region will see moderate southerlies up to 40 gusting 60 km/h on Saturday that will ease on Saturday night. The winds will shift northwesterly on Sunday morning.

RPDS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 12Z Sunday January 16, 2022
Temperatures will climb close to the freezing mark by Sunday morning across much of southern Manitoba.

A bit of light snow is possible as the warm front pushes through on Saturday night, then again as a cold front slumps southwards later Sunday morning. Accumulations will be quite low with only a couple centimetres possible.

Cooler weather will then begin to slump back southwards into the region beginning Sunday night.

Long Range Outlook

The main feature driving the weather next week will be the return of cold air associated with the polar vortex. Currently, it sits over much of Baffin Island and into the northern portion of Québec. Next week, though, it will shift westwards and then drop south, re-establishing itself over Hudson Bay again. This will set up a pipeline of cold Arctic air over Manitoba and send daytime highs back down into the minus 20s.

GDPS 2m Temperature Anomaly Forecast valid 12Z Thursday January 20, 2022
The polar vortex will bring temperatures well below seasonal values to the Prairies next week.

There’s a little uncertainty on when exactly it will set back up over the region. Some forecasts show it establishing its influence here by Monday, some others have it’s arrival delayed until mid-week with a bit of cloud and snow moving through in advance. Either way, temperatures will be heading back into the -20s next week for at least 4–6 days.

There is good agreement though that it will not remain locked over the region for a prolonged period. Forecasts show the Polar Vortex once again shifting back towards Baffin Island then northwards again sometime near the end of next week. This will allow warmer temperatures (and cloud, and the renewed chance for snow) back into the region.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -13 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -24 °C.

Arctic Grip Loosens in Southern Manitoba

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After weeks of bitterly cold weather over the Prairies, warmer weather finally returns to the region.

The shift back to warmer weather is driven by a large-scale pattern change pushing the Arctic Vortex eastwards. The lobe responsible for our extreme cold is on the way out, allowing milder Pacific to spread into the Prairies. As this is part of a large-scale pattern change, the warmer temperatures will be longer-lived; Winnipeg will have seasonal to seasonably mild highs right through the weekend.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 21Z Tuesday January 11, 2022
Significantly milder temperatures than seen over the past couple weeks will spread across the southern Prairies today.

A warm front will push across the Red River Valley today, ushering in significantly warmer temperatures. Highs across the Red River Valley will climb above -10 °C today, ranging from -7 °C near Lake Winnipeg to close to freezing near the western escarpment of the valley. A cold front will slump southwards tonight and send lows into the -15 to -20 °C range.

After this, a broad frontal zone will set up roughly northwest-southeast through Manitoba. Winnipeg will see highs generally around -10 °C through the rest of the week, though may wobble slightly warmer or colder as weak impulses slide through in the northwest flow. Overnight lows will also vary from close to -10 °C when cloudy to around -20 °C when skies clear.

RDPS 84hr. Accumulated Snowfall Forecast (10:1 SLR) valid 00Z Saturday January 15, 2022
Winnipeg could see close to 5 cm of snow by the end of Friday while western/southwestern Manitoba sees the brunt of snow with a widespread 10–15 cm through the rest of the week.

The region will see a bit of sun this afternoon, but then the rest of the week will bring mainly cloudy skies as the frontal boundary stalls over the region. Occasional disturbances will slide through the region, bringing waves of light snow with them. Accumulations will generally be light, but with light snow possible every 36 hours or so, it could gradually add up to something worth shovelling.

Long Range Outlook

Colder temperatures will return to the region next week. A cold front will slump through the region on Sunday bringing some more snow to the region and sending temperatures into a period of seasonably cool values. Highs next week will drop into the -15 to -20 °C range with overnight lows dipping into the mid-minus 20s.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -13 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -24 °C.

Snowy Start To The Weekend; Warmer Weather On The Horizon

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Another dump of snow will move across southern Manitoba tonight, providing more jobs for aspiring sidewalk shovelers. The cold weather will stick around for a couple more days afterwards, but a notable pattern change next week will bring warmer temperatures back to the region.

RDPS 24 hr. Snowfall Accumulation (10:1 SLR) Forecast valid 18Z Saturday January 8, 2022
Much of southern Manitoba will see close to 10 cm of snow on Friday night.

Winnipeg will see a cold start to the day continue to feel cold right through the afternoon as the wind picks up as the temperature warms. With southerly winds strengthening to 40 km/h as a low approaches, the afternoon high near -20 °C, the wind chill will stay lower than -30 right through the day. Snow will spread into the region in the late afternoon and then continue through the night. Temperatures will climb up to around -10 °C by Saturday morning with close to 10 cm of fresh snow falling overnight.

A cold front will sweep through the region early Saturday, sending temperatures back into the -15 to -20 °C range for the afternoon as westerly winds move into the region. Some lingering flurries will taper off in the morning with some clear breaks developing through the day. Skies will clear overnight as temperatures head back down to a low in the mid-minus 20s.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 21Z Sunday January 9, 2022
A very cold air mass will settle back over the region on Sunday.

An Arctic high will sit over the region on Sunday and Monday, keeping temperatures cold with highs in the -20 to -25 °C range.

Long Range Outlook

Looking ahead, several global models show a shift eastwards in the Polar Vortex through the second half of next week. This will bring some very cold weather to parts of eastern Canada, but here in the west it will result in some relief from the deep freeze the region has largely been locked in and allow more seasonal temperatures to spread across the Prairies. While Winnipeg will likely see conditions on the cloudier skies, daytime highs may climb back into the -5 to -10 °C range for the latter part of the week (positively balmy!). No significant or notable snowfalls are in the forecast for next week.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -13 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -24 °C.