Tag: Blowing Snow

Wind and Blowing Snow Usher in Warmer Weather

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The Red River Valley will see another period of strong winds and blowing snow as a surge of mild Pacific air moves into the region.

Before the warmth arrives, though, the region will see another cold day today. Recovering from our cold morning, highs will climb to around -22 °C today under mainly sunny skies. The wind will stay light through the day as an Arctic ridge slumps over the region.

RDPS 10m Wind Forecast valid 12Z Wednesday January 26, 2022
Strong southerly winds will develop over the Red River Valley on Tuesday night.

Conditions will deteriorate tonight as southerly winds strengthen. With warmer air pushing in from the west, southerly outflow winds from the Arctic high will intensify. The wind will pick up to around 30 km/h by midnight, then to 50 gusting 70 km/h by Wednesday morning. These strong winds will combine with the loose snowpack to produce widespread blowing snow across much of the Red River Valley. White-out conditions will be possible in some areas. The worst of the blowing snow will likely be between 5 AM and 10 AM Wednesday morning, followed by improving conditions midday. Temperatures will rise close to the mid-minus teens by the time the sun comes up on Wednesday morning.

Temperatures will continue to rise as the wind and blowing snow eases. A warm front pushing through the region will shift winds towards the west through the day with a high climbing above freezing on Wednesday afternoon. The region should see a fair amount of cloud, but little by way of any notable snowfall.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 21Z Wednesday January 26, 2022
Very mild temperatures will move through the Red River Valley on Wednesday afternoon.

A cold front will then slump through the region on Wednesday evening, shifting winds back to the north with some flurries. A bit of blowing snow is again possible on Wednesday night, but with after a mild day and with slightly weaker winds near 40 gusting 60 km/h, it shouldn’t be as extensive or severe as seen earlier in the day. Temperatures will head back into the -15 to -20 °C range for Thursday morning.

The Winnipeg area will see seasonably cool temperatures for the rest of the work week. Highs will sit near -15 °C with lows dipping into the -20 to -25 °C range. The city should see partly cloudy skies, but more cloud cover will work into the region on Friday evening.

Long Range Outlook

Cloudier conditions will move into the Red River Valley this weekend with seasonably mild conditions. A near-seasonal temperature trend will continue into next week with skies likely staying on the cloudier side.

The general long-wave pattern shows a consistent shift of the polar vortex back to the high Arctic. This should mean that, for the next little while at least, the extremely cold Arctic outbreaks should come to an end!

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -12 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -23 °C.

Windy Warm-Up Brings More Snow

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Winnipeg will see a blustery return to warmer weather today as more snow moves into the region.

A low pressure system moving towards the region has brought strong southerly winds to the Red River Valley this morning. Like on Tuesday, the blowing snow will hamper visibilities on area highways this morning. Fortunately, the winds will ease through the morning and bring an end to the blowing snow.

RDPS 24hr. Snowfall Accumulation (10:1 SLR) Forecast valid 06Z Saturday January 22, 2022
Much of southern Manitoba will see close to 5 cm of snow on Sunday, but some higher amounts could fall near the terrain over the Parkland into the western Red River Valley.

A frontal wave slumping through the province this morning will bring more snow to the region as well. Snow should begin early this morning with close to 5 cm of accumulation by the time it tapers off in the afternoon. A strong cold front will sweep through the region in the afternoon ushering in strong northwest winds with a few flurries. These northwesterly winds will bring some more blowing snow to the Red River Valley through Friday evening.

The frontal wave moving through the province today will bring mild temperatures to the Red River Valley. Winnipeg should see a high this afternoon near -5 °C. That warmth will be short-lived, though, as another Arctic air mass slumps in behind the cold front. Temperatures will head down to the -20 to -25 °C range tonight.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 12Z Sunday January 23, 2022
Very cold temperatures will be in place over southern Manitoba on Sunday morning. Note the strong warm front over Saskatchewan behind which temperatures rise above the freezing mark.

Behind this system, Winnipeg will see cooler conditions for the weekend, but not quite as bad as some of the other cold snaps lately. Highs this weekend will be in the -15 to -20 °C range both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday night will be quite cold with lows possibly dipping back below -30 °C again.

More cloud will move into the region on Sunday as a warm front pushes in from the west. Some light snow is possible in the afternoon, but it won’t be much more than a dusting. With the cloud cover and the nearby warm front, temperatures will be a bit warmer on Sunday night with a low in the -20 to -25 °C range.

Long Range Outlook

Next week will start off with colder temperatures again as another Arctic high slumps through the Prairies. Monday and Tuesday will bring daytime highs of -20 to -25 °C and and lows in the again dipping close to -30 °C.

The good news, though, is that the Polar Vortex is forecast to collapse northwards from the Baffin Island region. Its movement back toward the pole will bring a broader pattern change to Prairies. The Arctic air will be locked up further north, allowing Pacific air to spread over the region. Winnipeg will see temperatures climb to seasonably mild values for the second half of next week. The city will see highs generally in the -5 to -10 °C range.

There will likely be a fair amount of cloud around and frequent chances for some light snow, but perhaps that’s a small price to pay for some more prolonged relief from the cold.

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

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.

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.