A Weather Moment

No notable changes to start the week for Winnipeg with more unseasonably mild temperatures ahead. A change in the weather will arrive for Thursday.

The Canadian Prairies will continue to see a zonal flow aloft this week, running along the northern edge of a broad upper-level ridge. This will keep the milder Pacific air coming and give Winnipeg dry, warm weather.

As a result, the city will see daytime highs of -2 to +1 °C over the coming days. Overnight lows will cool slightly over the next couple nights into the -5 to -7 °C range. On Wednesday, a low pressure system moving through the province will bring more cloud and warmth. This system will likely keep temperatures above freezing on Wednesday night.

Winds will stay light over the coming days. On Tuesday, areas along the Red River Valley’s western escarpment will see some breezy downslope winds, but they should ease to light by the central Red River Valley. On Wednesday night, the low moving across the province will strengthen winds in Winnipeg out of the south-southwest to 30 gusting 50 km/h by Thursday morning.

Conditions will stay fairly dry over the coming days. A passing flurry is possible on Tuesday, but the next organized chance for precipitation will be Wednesday night as the low passes. Some rain showers are possible overnight, followed by a freeze early Thursday and more snow and wind.

Long Range Outlook

Thursday looks to be an unpleasant day across the region. Snow will move through the region on Thursday into Thursday night with a total likely near 5 cm. With the snow will come strong northwest winds into the 40–50 km/h range will entrench over the region that will linger into Friday. The combination of temperature falling below freezing on Wednesday night, fresh snow, and strong winds will likely lead to poor travel conditions through Thursday.

The passage of this low will shift Winnipeg into a slightly cooler weather pattern. Temperatures will still stay above seasonal values, but will be a bit more “wintery” than seen lately. Daytime highs are forecast to fall into the -5 to -10 °C range with lows into the minus teens.

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

The ship will be staying the course in Winnipeg this weekend with little change to the weather.

Southern Manitoba will see quiet weather this weekend as upper ridging stays over the region into next week. This upper pattern will support a broad area of high pressure across the southern Prairies over the coming days.

As a result, Winnipeg will see little change in the weather. The city will see highs near -1 °C and lows in the low minus single digits. Cloud will stick around today as fog in the area slowly lifts, followed by clearing skies on Saturday. Winds will be light today and tomorrow, but pick up out of the south to around 20 km/h on Sunday as the high slumps south of the province.

Long Range Outlook

Warm weather continues into the start of next week with variable cloudiness. Temperatures will begin to cool a bit through the latter half of the week, but still staying above seasonal values. No significant snow is in the forecast.

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

Slack winds and a building upper ridge will continue to bring mild weather to Winnipeg as cloudier conditions move in.

Winnipeg will sit on the northeastern edge of a col today, bringing quiet conditions with a light southerly wind. Skies should stay mostly cloudy today; some models want to clear skies out this afternoon, but low-level winds in Winnipeg are forecast to stay southerly through the day. With little change in the low-level winds, it seems more likely that the clouds will persist through much of the day. Temperatures will continue mild with a high near -1 °C. The southerly wind will strengthen into the 20–30 km/h range overnight as temperatures head to a low near -5 °C.

On Thursday and Friday, Winnipeg will see cloudy skies with mild weather continuing. The breezy southerly winds will continue through much of Thursday then taper off late in the day. Friday will bring a chance for some light snow to the region as a trough moves into the Red River Valley. Both days will see a high near -1 °C and lows around the -5 °C mark.

Long Range Outlook

The long-range forecast is rather astonishing for January in Winnipeg. Forecasts show little change to the broader weather pattern over the coming weeks. This means that the next 7–10 days will bring more of the same: mild temperatures and generally dry conditions.

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

Winnipeggers will be able to continue easily enjoying the outdoors with temperatures over 10 °C above seasonal averages.

Today will start off with a low pressure system that moved into the region yesterday exiting eastwards into Ontario. As it pushes off, Winnipeg will see mainly sunny skies and westerly winds of 20–30 km/h. Temperatures inch up to a high near +1 °C through the day as the winds gradually ease. The city should see clear skies tonight with a low near -13 °C as a ridge moves through.

On Tuesday, an upper trough will move into Saskatchewan, spreading cloud cover eastwards ahead of it into Manitoba. Winds will shift to the southeast ahead of a surface low, but should stay light through the day. Temperatures will be a tad cooler as ridging remains across the region and Winnipeg will see a high near -3 °C. Skies will be mostly cloudy on Tuesday night with a low near -5 °C.

Wednesday will bring little change across the region as Winnipeg finds itself on the edge of a col. A col is an area of light winds found where a trough and a ridge intersect. In our case, the trough will run from Alberta southeastwards to a low over Iowa, and the ridge will run from NW Ontario southwestwards towards Idaho. As a result, any cloud left from Tuesday night should just stick around and give mostly cloudy skies. Winds will be light and temperatures should climb to a high near -1 °C. Skies will stay on the cloudier side on Wednesday night with a low near -4 °C.

On both Tuesday and Wednesday, the cloud cover could produce some periods of light snow, but accumulations would be insignificant. If it happens, the snow would be light enough that it’s only really worth mentioning in passing.

Long Range Outlook

Mild temperatures with conditions trending cloudier will continue through the week. The next chance for any organized snowfall looks to be on Friday night when an occluding frontal wave could bring a couple centimetres of snow to the region.

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