Seasonably Cool Temperatures Continue

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Temperatures will stay seasonably cool in Winnipeg over the coming days as the snow cover gradually melts.

Skies will gradually clear in Winnipeg today as a weak cold trough moves out of the region. Winds will pick up out of the northwest to around 20 km/h with a high near 7 °C. The city will see partly cloudy skies tonight with a low near -5 °C.

Saturday will be a beautiful day in Winnipeg as a weak ridge of high pressure moves through. Temperatures will climb to a high near 12 °C under partly cloudy skies with light winds. The next system to impact the region will begin moving in on Saturday night: a cold front slumping southwards. As it moves in overnight, skies will cloud over winds winds picking up out of the north to around 20 km/h. Temperatures will dip to a low near +1 °C.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 06Z Sunday April 18, 2021
A cold front will push through Southern Manitoba on Sunday night, bringing gusty north winds and a bit of rain or snow to the region.

Sunday will start with some light snow moving through the region as the cold front passes. Temperatures will hover around +1 °C in the morning, helping keep accumulations to around 2 cm in the Winnipeg area. The snow will taper off a bit later in the morning, leaving mostly cloudy skies behind. Temperatures will climb to a high around +3 °C in the afternoon with a north wind of 30–40 km/h making things a bit unpleasant. The cloud cover will break up on Sunday night as a colder air mass moves over the province. Winds will ease to around 20 km/h with a low near -6 °C.

Long Range Outlook

The first half of next week should bring plenty of sun to Winnipeg as an upper ridge builds across the Prairies. Temperatures will start cool, but climb towards seasonal values mid-week. A few showers or flurries may be possible in the early part of the week as the cold air mass combines with strengthening April sunshine, generating some instability. By the end of the week, a more organized system is likely to move through the region. An upper vortex is forecast to slump into the Prairies from the Arctic; this could bring some more precipitation into the region for the end of the week.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is 11 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -1 °C.

Cool Conditions To Bring Gradual Melt

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Cooler conditions will linger in Winnipeg through the rest of the week, bringing a gradual melt to the pile of snow that fell over the last 48 hours.

The upper vortex responsible for 23 cm of snow in Winnipeg over the past 48 hours — the biggest snow event of this winter/spring season — is now trundling off towards eastern Canada. A few flurries will linger in its trail through the day. The snow cover and a cool north wind near 20 km/h bring a cool high near 0 °C. Skies will stay mostly cloudy tonight with light winds and a low near -4 °C.

On Thursday, a trough of cooler air aloft will move into southern Manitoba. It will bring a mix of sun and cloud and northerly winds up to around 20 km/h again. Any snow associated with this system will likely stay over southwestern Manitoba with light amounts. Temperatures will climb to a high around 3 °C in Winnipeg. Warmer highs are likely over the western Red River Valley where slight downsloping from the escarpment helps temperatures into the upper single digits. Mixed skies will stay for the night with temperatures dipping to a low near -5 °C.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 21Z Thursday April 15, 2021
Southern Manitoba will see cool temperatures on Thursday, save for the western Red River Valley where downslope winds near the escarpment bring near-seasonal warmth.

A broad area of high pressure will build into the region on Friday, bringing a bit more sun. Winds will pick up out of the north into the 20–30 km/h range with a high near 3 °C. Note that it could get warmer than that, highly depending on how quickly the snow pack over the region melts. Given the discrepancy in snow depth, some areas may see highs a few degrees warmer than others on Friday. Skies will clear out on Friday night with temperatures heading to a low near -7 °C.

Long Range Outlook

Temperatures will return closer to seasonal values on Saturday, then another low pressure system is forecast to move through on Sunday. This disturbance will bring more cloud and a chance for some rain or snow. Cooler and cloudier weather starts next week, followed by a gradual return to seasonal temperatures and generally sunny conditions.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is 10 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -2 °C.

Winter Returns to the Red River Valley

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Winnipeg will see a blast of April snow as a spring storm stalls over the region.

A slow-moving upper-level vortex will slump into the northern Plains of the United States today and stall over the area. This feature will support a deep and persistent stream of moisture from eastern North America into southern Manitoba for the next couple days. As a result, Winnipeg and region will see waves of snow spread westwards across the region today and tomorrow.

Winnipeg will see snow through the day today with accumulations of 5–10 cm by the evening. Moderate northerly winds near 40 gusting 60 km/h will accompany the snow, but the relatively warm conditions should limit the severity of any blowing snow that may develop. That said, visibilities may deteriorate rapidly at times in pockets of heavier snow. Temperatures will hover around -1 °C through the day.

The snow will continue tonight with winds of 30–40 km/h. Blowing snow might become a bit more of an issue overnight as temperatures drop a bit more to a low near -5 °C. Another 5–10 cm of snow is possible overnight.

Periods of snow will continue on Tuesday with temperatures climbing back to a high near -1 °C. Another 4–8 cm of snow is possible through the day. The snow will taper off Tuesday night, but skies will stay cloudy. The wind will ease into the 20–30 km/h range by Wednesday morning with temperatures dropping to around -5 °C again.

RDPS Total Snowfall Accumulation Forecast (at 10:1 SLR) valid 00Z Monday April 12, 2021 to 06Z Wednesday April 14, 2021
All of southern Manitoba will see a coating of snow from the spring storm affecting the area.

On Wednesday, the whole vortex will push off into eastern Canada, leaving the region with mostly cloudy skies and a chance of flurries. Temperatures will climb back above freezing with a north wind near 20 km/h.

By the time the snow tapers off, this system will have the potential to produce as much as 15–25 cm of snow for the Winnipeg area. The final total, though, will likely end up less than that; a combination of melting early in the event and compaction as it progresses should reduce the total accumulation somewhat. That said, it will likely still be enough to produce poor travel conditions and bring the region a short return to winter.

Long Range Outlook

The sun will return to the region by the end of the week, but seasonably cool conditions will persist. Winnipeg will see highs of 2–5 °C on Thursday and Friday, then climb into the 5–10 °C on the weekend. To start next week, the region will likely see variable cloudiness with near-seasonal temperatures.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is 9 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -3 °C.

Pleasant Weekend Before A Winter Storm

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Winnipeg will see a relatively pleasant weekend after some much-needed rain that fell on Thursday night. Winter isn’t done with the region, though, with a winter storm poised to slam the region by Monday.

A digging trough over western Canada will dominate the upper air pattern over Winnipeg through the coming days. This will bring near-seasonal temperatures and variable cloudiness. Today, the city will see mostly cloudy skies as the system that brought the overnight rain drifts eastwards. A few sunny breaks are likely, though, and should help get the daytime high up to around 10 °C. A brisk north wind will pick up today to around 30 km/h and persist until the evening before tapering off. Skies will clear tonight with a low near -2 °C.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid Saturday April 10, 2021
Saturday will be a sunny and mild day the Red River Valley.

Saturday will be the nicest day of the next few as a weak ridge moves over the province. Winnipeg will see mainly sunny skies, light winds, and a high near 14 °C. There will be a few clouds overnight with a low near the freezing mark.

On Sunday, the region will begin to fall under the influence of a low pressure system moving southeast from Saskatchewan. Winnipeg will see increasing cloud through the day with a northeast wind picking up into the 20–30 km/h range. Temperatures will climb to a high near 10 °C.

Long Range Outlook

A major winter storm will move through Manitoba Sunday night through Tuesday, bringing significant snowfall to the region. Precipitation will spread through the province on Sunday night, and while some areas may see a bit of rain to begin, everything should change to snow by Monday morning. There is still significant disagreement in the forecasts where the heaviest snow will fall, but there is good agreement with some regions seeing up to 15–25 cm of snow. Unfortunately for Winnipeg, the range in forecast solutions is huge right now…from ≤5 cm of snow to over 20 cm. So at this point it’s a matter of waiting and seeing how this begins to shape up closer to the event.

RDPS Precipitation Type and Rate Forecast valid 12Z Monday April 12, 2021
Snow is forecast across most of southern Manitoba by Monday morning.

That said, it will likely impact most of southern Manitoba and provide much-needed moisture to alleviate some of the drought conditions. In the wake of this system, a slow return towards highs around 10 °C by the weekend is forecast with plenty of cloud cover, allowing the snow melt to gradually soak into the ground.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is 9 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -3 °C.