Tag: mbstorm

Weekend Snow Brings Early-February Cold Snap to Southern Manitoba

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A low pressure system crossing the Prairies will bring more snow to Winnipeg and area this weekend, but its cold front will usher Arctic air back into the region.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 06Z Sunday February 2, 2025
A passing low pressure system will bring light snow and another day of seasonably mild temperatures before Arctic air pushes back into the area.

A cold front slumped through the region yesterday evening, northerly winds and cooler temperatures for the end of the work week. Daytime highs in the Winnipeg area will sit in the -20 to -15 °C range today as north winds of 20 to 30 km/h gradually ease. The seasonably cool weather will at least come with sunny skies.

The weather will turn this evening as a low pressure system building into the Prairies pushes cloud over into the region. The cloud cover will help keep temperatures warmer tonight, with lows staying on the warm side of -20 °C before beginning to warm overnight. A warm front will push into the region overnight, bringing some light snow into the region.

Heading through the weekend, a couple waves of light snow will move through Winnipeg with clouds and flurries between them. Temperatures will warm to a high near -5 °C on Saturday as this system pushes the Arctic front back north of the region , then drop to around -10 °C on Saturday night and hover around that mark on Sunday. The region will see southeast winds up to 30 gusting 50 km/h on Saturday ease to light overnight.

While the system moving through the Prairies this weekend will bring a total of 10 to 20 cm of snow to many areas west and north of Winnipeg, the Red River Valley will likely only see 5 to 10 cm of snow by the time it tapers off later on Sunday.

This system will push the Arctic cold front back south through the region on Sunday, bringing moderate northwest winds and colder temperatures. Skies will begin to clear on Sunday night with temperatures heading back down to -20 °C.

Long Range Outlook

Colder weather will settle into the region next week with daytime highs in the -20 to -15 °C for much of the week. A bit of moderation is possible mid-week as a system crossing the northern United States may spread some cloud and light snow into the region as it passes to the south. Cold weather will likely return for the end of thew eek as well with daytime highs possibly dipping into the -20s.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -11 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -22 °C.

Warming up in Winnipeg, but Colder Temperatures Lurk Nearby

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Temperatures are warming up in Winnipeg, but a battle between warm and cold air is setting up over the province.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 06Z Saturday January 25, 2025
A cold front will sweep through southern Manitoba on Friday night, bringing gusty northwest winds and some blowing snow.

To end the work week, a warm front will push through the Winnipeg area this morning. This front will bring a couple centimetres of light snow and moderate southerly winds as it pushes through. The snow will ease midday behind the front with winds shifting to the west. Temperatures will climb to a high near -2 °C this afternoon.

More snow will move into the region this evening, driven by a cold front following the warm front through the province. Another couple centimetres of snow will fall along with northwest winds up to 40 gusting 60 km/h. These winds will send temperatures back down into the mid-minus teens tonight and bring some blowing snow to the region.

Saturday will bring cooler, near-seasonal temperatures back to the region with a high just under -10 °C. Northwest winds will continue through the day at around 30 gusting 50 km/h, then ease off in the evening. A few flurries will be possible in the morning, then skies will clear. Another warm front will push into the region overnight, warming temperatures from a low in the mid-minus teens up to around -10 °C by Sunday morning.

On Sunday, a southwesterly breeze will bring mixed skies as temperatures climb into the -5 to 0 °C range. Temperatures will continue to warm towards the freezing mark on Sunday night as westerly winds of 20 to 30 km/h continue.

Long Range Outlook

Heading into next week, long-range forecasts show mild conditions for Winnipeg with daytime highs regularly near the freezing mark. There’s some uncertainty, though, as to whether the warmth will be able to stay in place over the region.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 21Z Monday January 27, 2025
A sharp temperature gradient will set up over Manitoba next week, with above-freezing highs and the south and Arctic cold in the north.

The Polar Vortex is forecast to dip southeast into eastern Canada, and a strong temperature gradient will likely set up across Manitoba as a result. Daytime highs could reach above freezing over parts of southern Manitoba while temperatures into the -20s and -30s will be possible over northern Manitoba. With such a strong temperature gradient in place over the province, minor changes in front location could result in large swings in expected temperatures.

It will likely be a mild week next week, but minor features could also result in brief outbreaks of rather cold temperatures later in the week.

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

Snow Moves Across Southern Manitoba This Weekend

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Winnipeg likely won’t escape snow a second time; a low pressure system moving through the province will spread accumulating snow across southern Manitoba this weekend.

RDPS Total Accumulated Snowfall Forecast valid 00Z November 22, 2024 to 06Z November 25, 2024 at 10:1 SLR.
A disturbance crossing the Prairies this weekend will bring heavy snow to Saskatchewan and accumulating snow to southern Manitoba.

Unfortunately, those missing the sun won’t find much relief in the days ahead. Cloud cover will continue to smother the Winnipeg area in the days ahead with only limited opportunities for the sun to shine through.

For today, skies will stay cloudy as a weak disturbance tracks by north of the region. Temperatures will climb to a high in the -5 to 0 °C range with light southwesterly winds. There is a chance of flurries in Winnipeg; the main snow associated with this system will pass through the Interlake, but the Winnipeg area could get clipped by the southern edge. A couple centimetres are possible in the southern Interlake with less than a centimetre likely in the northern Red River Valley.

The cloud cover may break up a little bit overnight as light northwest winds move into the region. Temperatures will dip down into the -10 to -5 °C range by Saturday morning.

A ridge of high pressure will move across the region on Saturday. Some sunny breaks are possible, but the next low moving towards the area will spread more cloud into the Red River Valley later in the day. Winds will be light with a high around -5 °C. Some light snow could push into the area in the second half of the night.

An upper disturbance will track across the southern Prairies on Sunday and support an inverted trough that will build into Manitoba. This will spread a large area of snow across Saskatchewan on Saturday and Manitoba on Sunday. The heaviest snow will fall in Saskatchewan, where as much as 15 to 25 cm will fall across central and eastern portions of the province. In manitoba, the Parkland and Interlake will likely see 10 to 25 cm of snow, while areas along the Trans-Canada Highway corridor receive 5 to 10 cm. Amounts will diminish into the 2 to 5 cm range further south towards the international border. In Winnipeg, over 5 cm is likely to fall by Sunday evening.

Aside from the snow, temperatures will climb to a high just over -5 °C with light northeast winds. Temperatures will dip down into the -10 to -5 °C range overnight with a continued chance of flurries overnight.

Long Range Outlook

Winnipeg will get a break from the snow on Monday morning, but some more snow is likely to develop Monday afternoon as northerly winds move into the region. In addition to general light snow, areas in the lee of Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba will likely see some lake-effect snow through the afternoon hours.

The cloud cover will start to break up on Monday night, leading into the return of some sun for the middle of next week. The return of some sunshine will be driven by colder air that will continue to filter into the region all week. Daytime highs are likely to fall into the -15 to -10 °C range with overnight lows dipping into the -20 to -15 °C range, bringing the first real push of wintery air into the region this year.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -4 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -12 °C.

Mild Fall Stretches On

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The mild fall conditions seen across southern Manitoba will continue into mid-November. There will be weather, though: after a blustery Tuesday, Winnipeg will see several chances for rain over the next week.

RDPS 10m Wind Forecast valid 18Z Tuesday November 12, 2024
Strong southerly winds will develop over the Red River Valley today.

Temperatures will stay well above seasonal values in Winnipeg this week as mild air continues to flood into the southern Prairies. While winter weather isn’t that far away — the farther reaches of northern Manitoba and southern Nunavut have seen temperatures near -20 °C or colder already this year — that cold air won’t be making its way south any time soon.

Rather, winds will stay more southerly and westerly over the coming week, bringing daytime highs 5 to 10 °C above seasonal values and keeping overnight lows equally mild.

Starting off with today, it will be a seasonably mild day but marked most notably by strong southerly winds. with the region squeezed between a high pressure system to the southeast and a low pressure system in northern Saskatchewan, southerly winds will strengthen into the 40 to 50 km/h range today with gusts as high as 70 km/h through the Red River Valley. Temperatures will climb to a high near 7 °C this afternoon as skies cloud over.

Cloudy skies will continue through the night as southerly winds gradually taper off into the 20 to 30 km/h range. The cloud and wind will keep things mild with lows dipping just below 5 °C.

On Wednesday, temperatures will rebound back into the upper single digits as a trough of low pressure moves through the region. That trough will bring a chance of some light midday rain showers that clear out of the region for the afternoon. Some sunny breaks are possible as skies likely clear out heading towards the evening. Those southerly winds will also ease in the morning, then switch to light northwesterlies behind the trough.

Temperatures will head to a low near freezing on Wednesday night with light winds and clear skies. Some fog patches could develop overnight and last into Thursday morning.

On Thursday, more cloud will develop over southern Manitoba as another low pushes into Saskatchewan. Temperatures will again climb into the upper single digits as winds shift back out of the south and strengthen into the 20 to 30 km/h range. The low in Saskatchewan will lift northeast through the day, lifting its warm front with it and bringing the Red River Valley into its warm sector. This should bring clearing skies on Thursday night with a low in 0 to 5 °C range and southerly winds of 15 to 20 km/h.

Long Range Outlook

On Friday, Winnipeg should see a beautiful mid-November day in the warm sector of the low tracking through the province. Daytime highs could be as high as +10 °C with sunny skies and a southerly breeze.

The warm weather will persist into the weekend, but another low moving into the area will bring cloudier skies with a good chance of rain on Saturday. Conditions will settle on Sunday with mild weather lasting right into Tuesday.

Tuesday/Wednesday next week will likely bring more rain to the region with temperatures likely beginning to cool off behind it. That said, there’s quite a bit of discrepancy in the guidance at this point; some keep it relatively mild, while others bring a sharp cold snap into the region.

Either way, there’s at least another week of pleasant, mild November weather ahead. Hope you can enjoy it!

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -1 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -8 °C.