Mild Week Brings Wednesday Night Snow, Windy Friday

Mild temperatures continue across the Red River Valley, but Winnipeg will see accumulating snow Wednesday evening.

Winnipeg will see temperatures climb to a high near 0°C again today with southeasterly winds increasing to 30 gusting 50 km/h. The city will see variable cloudiness through the morning, then skies will cloud over through the afternoon hours as a low pressure system arrives. Snow will spread into Winnipeg and the northern Red River Valley later this afternoon. Winds will ease in the evening as the low centre moves through, then pick up out of the northwest overnight. By Thursday morning, Winnipeg will see 5 to 10 cm of new snow with northwest winds up to 30 km/h. Temperatures will dip to a low near -5°C tonight. The accumulating snow will taper off overnight.

ECMWF 24 hr. Snowfall Accumulation (10:1 SLR) Forecast valid 18Z Thursday March 5, 2020
A low pressure system moving across southern Manitoba will give 5 to 10 cm (2 to 3.5″) of snow to the region by Thursday morning.

On Thursday, skies will clear out through the day as the low exits the province. Moderate northwesterly winds in the 30 to 40 km/h range will stick around for the day, then ease in the evening. Winnipeg will see a near-seasonal high of -3°C. Mixed skies will develop overnight as winds shift to the south at 10 to 20 km/h. Lows should dip to about -12°C.

On Friday, another low pushing towards the region will generate strong southerly winds in the Red River Valley. Winds will strengthen into the 40 to 50 km/h range by midday as temperatures climb to a high near 0°C.

RDPS 10m Wind Forecast valid 00Z Saturday March 7, 2020
Strong southerly winds will develop over the Red River Valley on Friday.

It looks like Winnipeg will see a fair amount of cloud, but some sunny breaks are likely. The wind will gradually ease on Friday night as temperatures head to a low near -3°C. Skies will stay mostly cloudy through the night.

Long Range Outlook

Mild weather will continue into the weekend with highs at or above freezing on Saturday. A fairly expansive low pressure system will spread snow across the southern Prairies on Saturday, pushing into Manitoba on Saturday night through Sunday. Winnipeg will likely see some snow from this system, but it’s unclear right now exactly how much the city will receive.

Model forecasts suggest that the heaviest snow will be well north of the city, falling from WestMan eastwards across the Interlake and onwards to the Ontario border. If this were the case, Winnipeg would see somewhere around 2 to 5 cm of snow from this system. That said, small changes in the track of this system, north or south, could significantly change the amount of snow the city receives. We’ll take a closer look at this system’s snowfall potential in Friday’s forecast!

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -4°C while the seasonal overnight low is -15°C.

Mild With Bouts of Snow

Warm weather continues in Winnipeg, but the city will see occasional snow over the coming days.

A relatively zonal flow across the Canadian Prairies will persist over the coming days, keeping temperatures seasonably mild with the cost of frequent disturbances moving through. In Winnipeg, this means that while the city will continue to see highs near the freezing mark, there will be a fair amount of cloud and several chances for snow.

Today, the city will see increasing cloud as a low pressure system moves into the province from the northwest. Winds will strengthen out of the south to around 40 km/h by midday as cloud thickens up and light snow slowly pushes into the Red River Valley. Winds will ease this evening and then shift west-northwest and increase to 30 gusting 50 km/h overnight. The light snow will taper off through the night with accumulations of 1 to 2 cm. Temperatures will dip to a low near -4°C with a continued chance of flurries overnight.

On Tuesday, a weak ridge of high pressure will move across the province. The cloud cover will gradually break up through the day as temperatures climb to a high near -1°C. The city may see some flurries through the morning hours. Winnipeg will see north-westerly winds through the day of around 20 km/h that ease to light in the evening. Temperatures will dip to a low near -11°C on Tuesday night with partly cloudy skies.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 00Z Tuesday March 3, 2020
Another low pressure system will move across southern Manitoba on Monday, bringing light snow to the region.

Skies will cloud over again on Wednesday as the next low pressure system moves into the province. Winds will pick up out of the south into the 30 to 40 km/h range as the low approaches the region. Temperatures will climb to a high near 0°C with light snow beginning in the afternoon. The city will see periods of snow on Wednesday night with winds turning southwest then gradually westwards.

Model forecasts diverge and show the heaviest snow occurring either just north of Winnipeg or just south of the city. Regardless of the track, it looks like up to 10 to 15 cm may be possible. At the moment, solutions generally agree with 2 to 5 cm of snow in Winnipeg by Thursday morning. That said, we’ll track this system as it develops and monitor the trend on the track for the heaviest snow. Depending on the track, Winnipeg could end up seeing heavy snow on Wednesday night.

In addition to the snow, there will also be a risk of some freezing rain across the region, particularly from the late afternoon until around midnight. Temperatures will fall to a low near -2°C.

Long Range Outlook

Winnipeg will see mild but windy conditions on Thursday as temperatures return to the freezing mark with moderate to strong northwest winds. The rest of the week looks to continue mild with breezy conditions reappearing for Friday (southerlies) and Sunday (northerlies). Occasional flurries are possible, but it looks like there’s no organized snow chances until the second half of the weekend into the new work week.

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

Plenty of Cloud With Seasonably Cool Conditions

Winnipeg will see plenty of cloud over the coming days as a weak Arctic high slides through the province. Temperatures will return to seasonal values by the end of the week, followed by a return to mild temperatures for the weekend!

Winnipeg should see ample low cloud today trapped under an Arctic ridge moving across the province. The city should see a high near -12°C, which is favourable for the chance of a few non-accumulating flurries. Winds will be light through the day. The region may see some sunny breaks, particularly through the afternoon hours. Temperatures will dip back down to a low near -18°C tonight with mixed to cloudy skies.

On Thursday, winds will be light out of the southeast as the ridge slowly exits the province. Temperatures will be a bit warmer with a high near -9°C as the region sees cloudy skies with periods of light snow. The snow won’t pile up to anything too significant, but 1 to 2 cm by the end of the day may be enough to get the roads nice and slick again. The city will see mixed to cloudy skies on Thursday night with a low near -15°C.

GDPS 2m Temperature Forecast Valid 00Z Saturday February 29, 2020
Warmer temperatures from the west will begin to move into Manitoba on Friday.

Temperatures will climb a tad more on Friday to a high near -8°C in Winnipeg with mostly cloudy skies. Winds will be light through the morning, then pick up into the 20 to 30 km/h range by the end of the afternoon. There’s a chance for some more light snow on Friday evening as a warm front pushes through, but most of the snow should stay north of the city. Winds will shift to the west overnight with mixed skies. Temperatures will rise to around -5°C by Saturday morning.

Long Range Outlook

Warm weather returns to Winnipeg for the weekend with highs near 0°C and variable cloudiness. Breezy conditions will develop on Sunday into Monday with a chance for some light snow later in the day on Sunday through the night as a low crosses the province.

Mild temperatures are forecast to continue through the first half of next week before returning to seasonal values.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -6°C while the seasonal overnight low is -16°C.

Arctic High Barreling Towards Southern Manitoba

A series of low pressure systems will bring mild temperatures and light snow to southern Manitoba over the next couple days. Then bundle up, because bitter cold will crash through the Prairies into southern Manitoba.

A low pressure system passing through the region will bring cloudy skies with light snow to Winnipeg today. The city will see about 2 cm of snow before it tapers off later this afternoon. Temperatures will be seasonably mild with a high near -6°C. Winds will be breezy this afternoon, picking up to northwest to 30 gusting 50 km/h behind a weak cold front. Skies will clear out this evening with temperatures dipping to a low near -13°C. Winds will ease and shift westerly, but some breezy conditions will continue to be possible along the escarpment of the western Red River Valley.

On Tuesday, more cloud will build into the region as the next low rapidly approaches. The city will see mixed skies becoming cloudy later in the day. Winds will pick up to 30 gusting 50 km/h out of the southwest, sending temperatures to a high near -3°C. The low will pass through in the evening, bringing snow into the region and ushering in a powerful cold front.

After a few hours of light winds late in the day, northerlies will strengthen to 40 gusting 60 km/h overnight. Light snow will move into the region in the evening and persist through much of the night. Although only around 2 cm of snow will fall, the strong winds may still produce some areas of reduced visibility in blowing snow. Temperatures will plummet through the night, reaching a low near -26°C on Wednesday morning. Dangerous wind chills of -40 or colder are possible overnight into Wednesday morning.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 00Z Wednesday February 12, 2020
A powerful cold front will surge southwards through the province on Tuesday night, ushering in a bitterly cold Arctic air mass.

Skies will clear on Wednesday as the Arctic high moves into the region. Temperatures will barely recover with highs of just -24°C expected. Northwesterly winds of 30 to 40 km/h will continue for much of the day, not easing until the latter parts of the afternoon into the evening. Temperatures will head to a low near -31°C on Wednesday night with dangerous wind chills of -40 or lower possible again.

Long Range Outlook

The cold weather will stick around for Thursday, then seasonal temperatures are forecast to return after a windy Friday. The weekend will bring near-normal temperatures and variable cloudiness with no significant snowfall expected.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -9°C while the seasonal overnight low is -20°C.