Tag: Below-Normal Temperatures

A Quiet, Unseasonably Cold Weekend Ahead

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There’s not too much to say about the upcoming weekend, which is a bit of relief after the relentless storm earlier this week. Below-normal temperatures and sunny skies ahead.

Temperatures over the coming few days will be well below normal due to a rather potent Arctic ridge entrenched over the region. The upside to the colder weather is that we’ll see plenty of sunshine for the next couple days before some cloud, and warmer temperatures, moves in for Sunday.

The Arctic ridge over the Prairies will keep temperatures well below normal across a vast swath of Canada.

So for both today & tomorrow, expect highs near -15 to -13°C, with overnight lows in the -20 to -25°C range. Skies will be sunny today, but more mixed tomorrow as some cloud cover moves in from the west ahead of the next disturbance that will clip across southeastern Saskatchewan and southwestern Manitoba.

The bigger change will come on Sunday as the disturbance clips through the region. Skies will be mainly cloudy, although it should be noted that Winnipeg may see a little more sunshine if the system edges just a little bit southwards or more cloud if it tracks a bit further north. Temperatures will also warm up a tad with highs climbing towards the -10°C mark but lows will still be quite cool on Sunday night, bottoming out near -19°C.

Long Range

While a few weak clipper systems are expected to pass over southwestern Manitoba over the coming week, it looks to remain fairly dry here in the Red River Valley. Temperatures will move towards seasonal to above-seasonal mid-week, and with that shift to warmer weather we may see a bit of precipitation, but at this point it’s simply too early to tell.

Winnipeg’s seasonal daytime high is currently -3°C while the seasonal overnight low is -13°C.

Wild Winter Storm Winds Down

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Residents of southern Manitoba can breathe a sigh of relief as conditions begin to improve as the major winter storm that has been hammering the province begins to move off into the Arctic.

Today will bring relief to southern Manitoba as the strong westerly to northwesterly winds in place over the region begin to subside. These winds have created havoc over southwestern Manitoba where some of the worst blizzard conditions in recent memory developed on Monday and persisted throughout the day and into the night on Tuesday. Brandon saw blizzard conditions begin around 5PM on Monday evening and persist all through Tuesday. Numerous motorists had to be rescued from area highways, despite significant notice of extremely poor conditions being given in advance of this storm by Environment Canada.1

This winter storm was driven by a powerful low pressure system that stretched all the way from Western Saskatchewan to Labrador on Tuesday evening.

Winds will subside through the day from around 50 gusting 70 km/h this morning to 30 gusting 50 km/h around midday as the low pushes off to the northeast, allowing the pressure gradient to begin to slacken over the southern portion of the province. While the winds will still be a bit gusty, they should be low enough for visibilities to improve. Temperatures will be cool, however, with a high temperature of just -10°C. Skies will start the day cloudy but break up to more of a mix in the morning.

Skies will be partly cloudy tonight as temperatures drop to a chilly -20°C.

A ridge of high pressure will push into Manitoba from the northwest, ushering colder temperatures into the province.

Thursday will see much colder air pushing into the province as a ridge of high pressure builds into the region. Temperatures will struggle to recover much through the day with highs expected to climb only to around the -17°C mark. This is nearly 15°C below normal for this time of year. Winds will be out of the northwest at around 20-30 km/h under partly cloudy skies. Temperatures will drop even further below normal on Thursday night with lows dipping down to around -27°C under clear skies with light winds.

Friday will be a cool and sunny day with little wind. Highs will be around -17 or -16°C with a low on Friday night near -21°C.

Long Range

The below-normal temperatures will continue through the weekend and into the beginning of next week, although there will be a gradual climb towards near-seasonal conditions. No significant snowfall is expected for Winnipeg the next 7 days.

Winnipeg’s seasonal daytime high is currently -3°C while the seasonal overnight low is -13°C.

  1. Environment Canada issued several special weather statements regarding the storm as well as blizzard warnings well in advance of the storm’s onset. ↩

Cold Front Brings Late-Season Chill

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A weak cold front passing through the region this morning will bring cooler weather to the Red River Valley for the second half of the work week, but it will be short lived as a widespread push of milder air develops through the weekend.

Today will bring near-seasonal temperatures to Winnipeg alongside some light snow as a cold front sweeps through this morning. Winds will pick up slightly out of the north behind the front as cooler air begins pushing southwards into the Red River Valley. Despite this, the high temperature should reach around -8°C; the bulk of the cold air will move in tonight as temperatures are set to slump to slightly below-normal -18°C.

This cold air will be in place through Thursday as temperatures struggle to climb to a high near just -13°C, which is well below-normal for this time of year. We should see a fair amount of sun, though, so as long as you haven’t put away your mitts and toque, it will be a relatively nice day. Temperatures will dip down to around -18°C again on Thursday night under partly cloudy skies.

A series of impulses moving in from the Pacific will spread warmer air into the eastern Prairies.

Friday will bring the big swing as the first of several Pacific-sourced systems tracks across the central Prairies. Warmer air will surge eastwards towards Manitoba, producing gusty southerly winds as is typical with transition days from colder to warmer weather in the Red River Valley. They’ll probably strengthen to around 40 km/h with gusts up to 60 km/h, and persist into Saturday morning before tapering off Saturday afternoon. Temperatures will climb, though, eventually reaching a high temperature near -5°C. Along with the warmer weather will come more cloud, with skies clouding over by midday. While any accumulating snow is unlikely, there may be some light snow in the afternoon as the warm front pushes across the Red River Valley.

Skies should mix out a bit on Friday night as temperatures continue near -5°C or even rise slightly towards -3 or -2°C by Saturday morning.

Long Range

Mild weather will remain over southern Manitoba for the weekend, with daytime highs continuing to be above seasonal. By Sunday, the chance for snow will increase as a more significant low pressure system develops across the Northern Plains.

Winnipeg’s seasonal daytime high is currently -5°C while the seasonal overnight low is -15°C.

Arctic Chill Settles Over Prairies

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Daytime highs will fall well below-normal for the remainder of the week as a shot of cold Arctic air slumps southwards over the Prairies behind yesterday’s potent low pressure system that brought another blast of snow and blowing snow to the region.

Temperatures will struggle to recover today as Southern Manitoba sees a cooler air mass building in. After a chilly start with temperatures near –28°C, conditions will warm to a high near just –22°C under mixed skies and a light wind. Temperatures will drop back to around –28°C once again tonight under mixed skies.

Forecast 850mb temperatures; the first of two cold shots will push over Manitoba today and tomorrow. The second arrives this weekend.

Thursday will bring mixed skies once again as a weak disturbance moves through the region. Expect daytime highs across the Red River Valley to be similar to Wednesday at around –22°C. Lows will dip to the –28 or –29°C mark on Thursday night with mixed to cloudy skies.

Friday will bring slightly warmer weather with high temperatures near the –19°C mark under mixed skies. Warmer air will continue working in on Friday night, bringing with it cloud cover that will help keep the overnight lows slightly milder at around –24°C.

Long Range

The weekend looks slightly warmer with light winds continuing. Of note, Saturday looks like it will see highs near the –19°C mark, but with sunny skies! The combination of light wind and sun may make it a [relatively] pleasant day despite the cold, all things considered. More cloud moves in Sunday with highs slightly warmer than Saturday.

A fair chance of below-normal temperatures continues for the next 6-10 days across Southern Manitoba.

Next week looks like it will start off significantly milder with high temperatures potentially climbing up to around the –15 to -12°C mark on Monday, but the threat for more snow returns with those warmer temperatures which would then be followed by a plunge back into the Arctic air.

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