Tag: Snow

Warming Up In Winnipeg…Briefly

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Winnipeg will shake the shackles of Arctic air and return to spring-like weather! But another cold front will sweep through the region on Thursday night, bringing another blast of cooler temperatures to end the week.

With the Arctic ridge finally to the south, temperatures will return to seasonal values today with a light westerly wind. Some morning cloud will clear out as a warm front slides eastwards across the region, then Winnipeg will see a sunny high near 12 °C. Skies will stay clear tonight with a low near +1 °C.

Temperatures will climb on Thursday as a warm-sector trough moves into the region. With sunny skies, southwest winds will pick up to around 30 km/h and bring a high near 17 °C to Winnipeg. The winds will ease in the evening, followed by increasing cloudiness overnight as a cold front moves through overnight. Skies will be cloudy by Friday morning with northerly winds of 30–40 km/h. The city should see a low near -1 °C.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 21Z Thursday April 22, 2021
Mild temperatures will spread through southern Manitoba on Thursday.

Friday will start with cloudy skies and a good chance for some light snow The northerly winds will persist through much of the day, but the chance of snow will drop off midday. Temperatures will be much cooler than Thursday with a high near +3 °C in Winnipeg. An area of high pressure will settle over the region on Friday night, bringing clearing skies, light winds, and a low near -6 °C.

Long Range Outlook

Winnipeg will see seasonably cool temperatures this weekend with highs in the upper single digits. A sunny Saturday will give way to cloudier conditions on Sunday that will persist through the first few days of the week. A generally unsettled pattern will develop as an upper trough digs over western North America, and Winnipeg will see a few chances for rain through the first half of next week.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is 13 °C while the seasonal overnight low is 0 °C.

Seasonably Cool Temperatures Continue

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Temperatures will stay seasonably cool in Winnipeg over the coming days as the snow cover gradually melts.

Skies will gradually clear in Winnipeg today as a weak cold trough moves out of the region. Winds will pick up out of the northwest to around 20 km/h with a high near 7 °C. The city will see partly cloudy skies tonight with a low near -5 °C.

Saturday will be a beautiful day in Winnipeg as a weak ridge of high pressure moves through. Temperatures will climb to a high near 12 °C under partly cloudy skies with light winds. The next system to impact the region will begin moving in on Saturday night: a cold front slumping southwards. As it moves in overnight, skies will cloud over winds winds picking up out of the north to around 20 km/h. Temperatures will dip to a low near +1 °C.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 06Z Sunday April 18, 2021
A cold front will push through Southern Manitoba on Sunday night, bringing gusty north winds and a bit of rain or snow to the region.

Sunday will start with some light snow moving through the region as the cold front passes. Temperatures will hover around +1 °C in the morning, helping keep accumulations to around 2 cm in the Winnipeg area. The snow will taper off a bit later in the morning, leaving mostly cloudy skies behind. Temperatures will climb to a high around +3 °C in the afternoon with a north wind of 30–40 km/h making things a bit unpleasant. The cloud cover will break up on Sunday night as a colder air mass moves over the province. Winds will ease to around 20 km/h with a low near -6 °C.

Long Range Outlook

The first half of next week should bring plenty of sun to Winnipeg as an upper ridge builds across the Prairies. Temperatures will start cool, but climb towards seasonal values mid-week. A few showers or flurries may be possible in the early part of the week as the cold air mass combines with strengthening April sunshine, generating some instability. By the end of the week, a more organized system is likely to move through the region. An upper vortex is forecast to slump into the Prairies from the Arctic; this could bring some more precipitation into the region for the end of the week.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is 11 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -1 °C.

Cool Conditions To Bring Gradual Melt

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Cooler conditions will linger in Winnipeg through the rest of the week, bringing a gradual melt to the pile of snow that fell over the last 48 hours.

The upper vortex responsible for 23 cm of snow in Winnipeg over the past 48 hours — the biggest snow event of this winter/spring season — is now trundling off towards eastern Canada. A few flurries will linger in its trail through the day. The snow cover and a cool north wind near 20 km/h bring a cool high near 0 °C. Skies will stay mostly cloudy tonight with light winds and a low near -4 °C.

On Thursday, a trough of cooler air aloft will move into southern Manitoba. It will bring a mix of sun and cloud and northerly winds up to around 20 km/h again. Any snow associated with this system will likely stay over southwestern Manitoba with light amounts. Temperatures will climb to a high around 3 °C in Winnipeg. Warmer highs are likely over the western Red River Valley where slight downsloping from the escarpment helps temperatures into the upper single digits. Mixed skies will stay for the night with temperatures dipping to a low near -5 °C.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 21Z Thursday April 15, 2021
Southern Manitoba will see cool temperatures on Thursday, save for the western Red River Valley where downslope winds near the escarpment bring near-seasonal warmth.

A broad area of high pressure will build into the region on Friday, bringing a bit more sun. Winds will pick up out of the north into the 20–30 km/h range with a high near 3 °C. Note that it could get warmer than that, highly depending on how quickly the snow pack over the region melts. Given the discrepancy in snow depth, some areas may see highs a few degrees warmer than others on Friday. Skies will clear out on Friday night with temperatures heading to a low near -7 °C.

Long Range Outlook

Temperatures will return closer to seasonal values on Saturday, then another low pressure system is forecast to move through on Sunday. This disturbance will bring more cloud and a chance for some rain or snow. Cooler and cloudier weather starts next week, followed by a gradual return to seasonal temperatures and generally sunny conditions.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is 10 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -2 °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.