Cooling Down a Bit

This week will see somewhat cooler conditions than what we experienced on the weekend, but temperatures will remain above-seasonal nonetheless.

Temperatures will be a bit cooler this week as cooler air floods in from the north
Temperatures will be a bit cooler this week as cooler air floods in from the north

Monday

Monday
3°C / -3°C
Mainly cloudy

Today will be mainly cloudy as extensive upper cloud moves through southern Manitoba. Some precipitation will pass to our south early in the day, potentially giving us a light shower or flurry. Temperatures will certainly be cooler than the record “heat” of Sunday, but with highs in the low single digits, conditions will still be above-seasonal. A chilly north wind will be responsible for ushering in these cooler conditions and also add a slight wind chill factor throughout the day.

Tuesday

Tuesday
2°C / -5°C
Mix of sun and cloud

Tuesday will be similar to Monday temperature-wise, but it should be a sunnier day. Skies will be a mix of sun and cloud with breezy north-west winds. A light shower or flurry will be possible due to some low-level instability developing, but any accumulations will be small.

Wednesday

Wednesday
4°C / -6°C
Mix of sun and cloud

Wednesday will once again see temperatures in the low single digits under a mixture of sun and cloud. There is a slight chance of a shower or flurry again, though the chance will be lower than on Tuesday. Winds will be light and from the south.

Long Range

The long range forecast suggests we should see generally above-seasonal conditions for the rest of the month. Now that our snow cover is gone the ground can effectively absorb solar radiation, converting it to sensible heat. As the ground dries out this process will become even more efficient. Our normal temperatures will gradually increase over the next few weeks, meaning that above-seasonal weather today will become more normal by month’s end. There is no sign of any significant precipitation in the forecast at this time, so flooding should remain minimal in the Red River Valley this spring.

Warm Weekend Ahead for Winnipeg

Winnipeg & the Rest of Southern Manitoba will see a beautiful weekend ahead thanks to a powerful low pressure system set to track through the Arctic, drawing warmer air northwards into the Prairies. The result will be a dry weekend with temperatures soaring well above normal with a fair amount of sunshine to enjoy. The pleasant March weather continues!

RDPS Surface Temperature – 21Z March 15, 2015
The RDPS clearly shows a powerful low pressure system moving north of 60° with a broad frontal system pulling warmer air northwards into the Prairies.

Today will be the coolest day of the next few with a high temperature near 5°C. Skies will start off cloudy but should clear out as the day progresses. Winds will be out of the northwest to 20-30km/h. Expect temperatures down to around -1°C overnight.

Friday
5°C / -1°C
Clearing

Saturday
9°C / 5°C
Mainly cloudy

Sunday
12°C / 0°C
Partly cloudy

Saturday will a transition day as the warm front moves through Southern Manitoba. It will be warmer than Friday, but accompanying those warmer temperatures will be gusty southerly winds to around 40km/h. Skies will be mainly cloudy as temperatures climb to 9°C with no chance for precipitation. With warmer weather moving in, overnight lows will be quite mild near 5°C.

Sunday will be a gorgeous day. Any remnant cloud from Saturday’s warm front will clear out by the end of the morning and we’ll be left with mainly sunny skies with high temperatures climbing into the low teens. Winds will be relatively calm until later in the day when winds will pick up out of the northwest to around 30km/h. Cooler temperatures will move in bringing overnight lows back towards the 0°C mark.

Next week continues to bring mild weather with no signs of any potential precipitation until the end of the week. With much of our snow likely gone by the end of the weekend – and the snowpack pretty much gone in North Dakota – it’s a fairly safe bet to say that spring has arrived in full!

The Melt Begins

The spring snow melt will begin in earnest this week as temperatures soar to above-seasonal values.

Monday will be above-seasonal as a mild westerly flow moves across the Prairies
Monday will be above-seasonal as a mild westerly flow moves across the Prairies

Monday

Monday
5°C / -2°C
Mix of sun and cloud

Today will be well above-seasonal with high temperatures reaching into the mid single digits. We’ll see skies that are a mixture of sun and cloud as some mid and upper cloud streams through from the north-west. Since there will be a lot of snow melting, some fog patches may develop overnight due to the increase in moisture. It will most certainly be another bad day if you happen to be made of ice!

Tuesday

Tuesday
4°C / 0°C
Mainly sunny

Tuesday will see similar conditions to Monday. Temperatures will once again be in the mid single digits with a westerly wind. Skies should be mainly sunny making for yet another beautiful day.

Wednesday

Wednesday
3°C / 0°C
Mainly cloudy

Some clouds will roll in for Wednesday, but temperatures will remain mild. Highs should be in the low to mid single digits under mainly cloudy conditions. We may even see a light rain or snow shower, but accumulations will be minimal. Wednesday will be a gloomier day, but warm nonetheless.

Long Range

The long range forecast continues to look very good. Models suggest that we will see above-seasonal temperatures stick around until at least mid-March. Given the warm weather expected this week, it’s likely that most of our snow will disappear quite quickly. Once the snow is gone the ground will be less reflective, allowing more sunlight to be absorbed, giving us systematically warmer temperatures. Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it!

Mild & Cloudy Weather Ahead

The warmer weather has finally made its way to Manitoba with temperatures expected to climb well above normal today. The surge of warmth is thanks to a weak low pressure system pushing through the Interlake today which also bring some light snow to Southern Manitoba today. Above-normal temperatures will persist through the remainder of the week in what will be a very pleasant mid-January break from the cold.

Wednesday

-3°C / -8°C
Snow beginning this morning.

Thursday

-5°C / -18°C
Mixed skies with a chance of flurries.

Friday

-5°C / -8°C
Mainly cloudy, light snow likely

Today’s weather will be driven by a low pressure system tracking through the Interlake region. Light snow will spread eastwards across Southern Manitoba through the morning period with most areas seeing the snow taper off by mid-afternoon. Generally, a couple cm of snow is expected, however slightly higher amounts of 3–4cm may fall through the Interlake. Winds will be gusty out of the south at 30–40km/h until the evening when the winds will diminish and shift to the southwest. Expect a high near –3 or –2°C today.

This 12hr. precipitation totals panel from the RDPS shows 1-2.5mm of precipitation over Manitoba today, equivalent to anywhere from 1 - 3cm of snow.
This 12hr. precipitation totals panel from the RDPS shows 1–2.5mm of precipitation over Manitoba today, equivalent to anywhere from 1 – 3cm of snow.

The clouds may break up a bit overnight, however it should remain on the mostly cloudy side. Our low temperature will fall to around –8°C.

Thursday will bring mixed skies and a slight chance of flurries as a weak frontal boundary works through the Red River Valley. Highs will sit near –5°. Skies should clear out on Thursday night, allowing temperatures to drop significantly to around –18°C for a low.

More cloud returns on Friday as another low pressure system works into the province. Not much snow is expected with it, but light snow over much of Southern Manitoba looks likely. Highs will climb to around –5°C with lows on Friday night at around –8°C.

The milder, somewhat cloudy weather is expected to persist through the weekend before returning to more seasonal values[1] for next week.


  1. Normal daytime highs are around –13°C for this time of year in Winnipeg.  ↩