Tag: Lake-Effect Precipitation

Sunshine Reappears in Winnipeg…Briefly

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The sun will finally make a reappearance in Winnipeg today as colder weather moves into the region.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 12Z Saturday November 30, 2024
Winnipeg will see chilly overnight lows near -20 °C in the days ahead, but it will be much colder to the west.

Morning cloud cover will give way to sunshine today as the never-ending blanket of stratus cloud finally moves out of the region. The minor cost to finally kicking some of the gloom that’s set in is that temperatures will drop across the region. In Winnipeg, temperatures will hover just below -10 °C today with norhtwest winds steady around 30 km/h.

The winds will ease to around 20 km/h tonight with temperatures dropping close to -20 °C. A bit of lake-effect cloud and snow is possible off of the Manitoba Lakes, so Winnipeg could find itself with mixed skies through the night and perhaps some scattered flurries. Between the wind and the vicinity cloud, it’s unlikely that temperatures will drop much below -20 °C, if at all.

Much colder temperatures will sit just to the west of the Red River Valley; overnight lows in the -25 to -35 °C range will straddle the Saskatchewan/Manitoba border over the next couple nights.

The next couple days in Winnipeg will likely look much the same; cloud drifting into the region from the northwest as it pours off Lake Manitoba in the freeze-up process, possibly with some light snow. Highs will range from just below -10 °C under clearer skies to just over -10 °C under cloudier skies. Overnight lows could be in the -10 to -15 °C range if the band of lake cloud parks itself over the city at night, while it could drop closer to -20 °C if it clears.

Conditions may trend sunnier on Sunday as winds shift more northerly which would shift lake-effect cloud bands out of the Winnipeg area.

Long Range Outlook

Looking ahead, a low pressure system is likely to move through the region Monday night through Tuesday. Dropping down from the northwest, it looks to bring 5 to 10 cm of snow to central Manitoba with amounts diminishing southwards. It will come with a push of colder air, so there is still uncertainty with its track. This system will likely produce a swath of 5 to 15 cm of snow, but whether that occurs through central Manitoba or along a strip from the Parkland through the Red River Valley is unclear at the moment.

Behind this system, a push of colder air will move into southern Manitoba and send temperatures colder through the second half of the week.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -6 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -15 °C.

Cooler Weather Settles In

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Just like that, fall weather has arrived in the Red River Valley with temperatures over 10 °C cooler than seen on the weekend.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 12Z Friday October 4, 2024
The first freeze of the season could arrive by Friday morning.

Today marks the start of fall weather in southern Manitoba, courtesy a much cooler air mass brought in by yesterday’s cold front and very gusty winds. This change reflects a major shift in the large-scale weather pattern; the upper ridge over the Prairies has collapsed, and a quasi-stationary upper low is becoming established over the western coast of Hudson Bay. This change will result in a more west to northwest flow aloft over Manitoba, ushering in seasonal conditions for this time of year.

The result will be a week filled with daytime highs in the mid-teens and overnight lows dropping into the 0 to 5 °C range with a risk that we may see the first frosts of the season.

For a bit more detail, today will bring cloudier conditions with lighter winds than yesterday. A high pressure system passing to the south will spread southwest winds of 20 to 30 km/h into the region as temperatures climb into the mid-teens. A weak disturbance slumping southeastwards across the Prairies will keep conditions cloudy tonight; this will ensure that the overnight low stays mild (for this week) at around 10 °C.

Another cold front will sweep through on Wednesday, bringing gusty northwesterlies and cooler temperatures back to the region. With the cooler temperatures moving in and the prolonged northwesterly flow, some lake-effect showers may develop. Winds will likely keep these north of Winnipeg, but worth noting the possibility for areas in the northern Red River Valley.

A ridge of high pressure will push into the province behind the front, bringing clearing skies and sending overnight lows to near-freezing for the rest of the work week. A widespread freeze could be possible over southern Manitoba overnight Thursday into Friday morning.

Long Range Outlook

A moderating trend will develop over the weekend across southern Manitoba with daytime highs heading back towards the upper teens. Overnight lows will also follow the warming trend, likely heading back into the 5–10 °C range through the weekend.

The region will see variable cloudiness, but little to no precipitation is expected.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is 15 °C while the seasonal overnight low is +3 °C.

Cool Conditions Ahead for Winnipeg

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The broad pattern change that began this week will establish itself by the weekend, bringing a prolonged period of seasonably cool conditions to the region.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 21Z Saturday October 28, 2023
Seasonably cool temperatures will flood the Prairies this weekend with daytime highs below freezing in most places.

The weather pattern across southern Manitoba will be dominated by a slow-moving upper trough extending from an Arctic vortex over Canada’s eastern Arctic. This will ensure a pipeline of cooler air sourced from the Arctic sits pointed at the region right into next week, delivery seasonably cool temperatures to the area.

It will be mainly cloudy in Winnipeg today with some morning snow tapering off as a disturbance tracks off the the east. In its wake, northerly winds up to 30 gusting 50 km/h will pump cooler air southwards, supporting bands of lake-effect flurries off of both Lake Manitoba and Lake Winnipeg. This will result in a few flurries lingering through the day, as well as some more concentrated bands of snow in the lee of the lakes. Temperatures will climb to around the freezing mark, then dip down into the -5 to -10 °C overnight as skies clear.

Sunnier skies will return for Saturday with highs in the -5 to 0 °C range with southwesterly winds in the 20 to 30 km/h range. A bit of cloud will push back into the region on Saturday night, but lows will still dip down close to -10 °C.

On Sunday, there will likely be a bit more cloud around with just a slight chance of some flurries. Temperatures will again climb into the -5 to 0 °C range with westerly winds again near 20 km/h.

Long Range Outlook

Highs will likely bounce back to the freezing mark on Monday with a passing disturbance that will also bring some light snow to the region, then cooler weather returns for the rest of the week with highs in the -5 to 0 °C range and overnight lows closer to -10 °C.

For Halloween, it’s looking like it will be a partly cloudy day with a cool high near -5 °C. By the time kids start heading out in the evening, temperatures will likely have dipped into the -5 to -10 °C range with southwest winds near 15 km/h.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is 6 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -3 °C.

Sunshine Returns as Seasonal Fall Weather Settles In

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Sunshine will gradually return to Winnipeg over the coming days as cooler fall weather settles into the region.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 21Z Sunday October 8, 2023
Cooler temperatures will descend into the eastern Prairies for the weekend while warmth builds in the west.

The Red River Valley will see mixed skies today as an unsettled air mass moves through the region. Cool temperatures combined with north-northwest winds will result in some persistent lake-effect rain bands. These could be a bit intense at times, and will shift eastwards and weaken as the day progresses. This will result in a chance of showers for many areas in the Red River Valley this morning, then tapering off into the afternoon.

It will be a cool day across the region; highs will reach around 10 °C with northwest winds around 30 gusting 50 km/h. The showers and cloud will clear out this evening as a ridge of high pressure builds in. Temperatures overnight will bring a good chance of some frost to the region as the winds taper off and temperatures dip to around 0 °C.

A weak disturbance rippling along in the flow could bring a few showers to southern Manitoba on Saturday morning, but it looks like the precipitation will likely stay north of the Red River Valley.

A ridge of high pressure will keep things on the sunnier side through the weekend with seasonal highs in the low teens and overnight lows dipping close to the freezing mark.

Long Range Outlook

Through the weekend, an upper ridge will build in the west and some warmer weather will move into Alberta and Saskatchewan. For Manitoba, a deep upper trough is forecast to shift east and mature in to a broad vortex that stalls out over eastern Canada, perhaps even retrograding a bit into next week.

As a result, the warm air will be shunted northwards into the Northwest Territories and Nunavut while cooler near-seasonal temperatures likely remain entrenched over Manitoba through next week.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is 13 °C while the seasonal overnight low is +2 °C.