Tag: Snow

Mild Conditions Continue Until Mid-Week

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Winnipeg will continue to see mild conditions for a couple more days, then a low pressure system moving through will usher in another surge of Arctic air.

Winnipeg will see sunny skies and seasonably mild conditions as a weak ridge moves across the province. Highs near -7°C combined with light winds will make for a beautiful January day that’s hard to complain about. Temperatures will dip to a low near -12°C tonight with a light southerly wind developing. Some cloud will begin to push into the region late overnight into early Tuesday morning.

Another surge of slightly milder air will move back into the region on Tuesday ahead of a developing low pressure system in Alberta. Temperatures will climb to around -4°C under mainly cloudy skies with winds out of the southeast at 20 to 30 km/h. An area of snow will spread eastwards across the central Prairies through the day, but at this point it looks like the snow will mostly remain north of a warm front which will be draped through western Manitoba and across the Interlake region. Temperatures will remain mild on Tuesday night near -4°C under cloudy skies with a chance of flurries and light winds.

RDPS Forecast 2m Temperature, Wind, and MSLP valid 00Z Wednesday January 10, 2018
An approaching low pressure system will keep temperatures mild on Tuesday night in Winnipeg, but much colder temperatures arrive on Wednesday

An Arctic cold front will sweep through early Wednesday morning, ushering in northwesterly winds of 30 to 40 km/h and sending temperatures in Winnipeg plummeting to around -19°C by evening. Skies will remain cloudy with a chance of flurries throughout much of the day. Skies will remain cloudy much of Wednesday night as temperatures drop to a low near -24°C by early Thursday morning.

Long Range Outlook

Below-seasonal temperatures will remain in place for the remainder of the week with daytime highs in the -22 to -18°C range and overnight lows in the mid-minus 20s right through the weekend. Conditions also look fairly dry, although a light skiff of snow may be possible on Friday as a low pressure system passes by through North Dakota.

There are hints of a more prolonged mild period developing next week, but models are still waffling on just how far north the warm air will make it and whether it will be continental feature, or primarily restricted to the United States. We’ll just have to wait and see on that one.

For now, get out there and enjoy the nice weather before that cold front arrives on Wednesday!

Winnipeg’s seasonal daytime high is currently -13°C while the seasonal overnight low is -24°C.

Light Snow Will Bring Reprieve From The Bitter Cold

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After experiencing the coldest day of 2017 on December 30th, Winnipeg will see relief from the bitter cold as the Arctic high moves out of the region and temperatures return closer to seasonal values. Temperatures will climb to near-seasonal values on Tuesday with some light snow, but a cold front moving through Tuesday night will bring colder temperatures back for Wednesday.

Today will be the first day where temperatures really start breaking from the Arctic chill in Winnipeg with the high temperature climbing to around -20°C. Skies will remain mainly clear for much of the day, however a bit of cloud will begin working into the region late in the day; so late, in fact, that it may end up being dark before the cloud finds its way into the Red River Valley. The wind will become a little more noticeable as the day progresses, though, climbing to around 20 to 25 km/h by the end of the afternoon, producing a wind chill values in the -30 to -35 range.

Winnipeg will see partly cloudy skies tonight as temperatures dip to a low near -24°C with south-southwesterly winds of 20 to 30 km/h. Wind chill values will be in the -35 to -40 range. A bit more cloud will push in through the latter half of the night as a low pressure system begins pushing into the Interlake region from northern Saskatchewan.

3km NAM 12hr Snowfall Totals (10:1 SLR) valid 00Z January 3, 2018
Winnipeg will likely see a light dusting of snow on Tuesday

Tuesday will bring mostly cloudy skies to Winnipeg as a low pressure system brushes by the region. Temperatures will be the warmest they’ve been since December 23rd1 as highs climb to around the -15°C mark. Winds will ease midday, but a cold front sweeping through in the afternoon will usher in brisk northwesterly winds of 30 to 40 km/h, bringing an end to the brief mild spell.2 Skies will remain mostly cloudy to mixed overnight as temperatures dip to a low near -25°C. Wind chill values will once again fall into the mid -30s.

Wednesday will bring clearing skies with temperatures reaching a well below-seasonal high of -21°C. The winds will ease to light by midday, making for a relatively nice afternoon if you bundle up. Winnipeg should see clear skies and light winds on Wednesday night as a ridge of high pressure moves into the Red River Valley. Lows will be cold, though, with temperatures expected to drop to around -29°C in Winnipeg.

Long Range Outlook

Over the next while, it looks like temperatures will remain seasonal to below-seasonal, although not to the extremes seen at the end of December. It also looks fairly dry; after Tuesday’s light dusting, the next chance Winnipeg may see a bit of snow is on Saturday night into Sunday morning as another low moves through, bringing milder air with it. So no extreme cold, no big snows, just some relatively calm winter weather ahead.

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

  1. Winnipeg’s daytime high on December 23, 2017 was -11.4°C. ↩
  2. Which should be noted is still below seasonal average temperatures. ↩
GDPS Forecast 850mb Temperature Anomaly valid 12Z December 25, 2017

Polar Express On The Way

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The Polar Express is on its way to Winnipeg, and we’re not talking about the book. After near- to slightly below-normal temperatures through the latter half of the work week, Arctic air will surge southwards this weekend, sending temperatures towards what may end up the coldest Christmas Day in two decades.

Today will bring mainly cloudy skies to Winnipeg as a low pressure system crosses through the Dakotas, spreading a broad area of cloud ahead of and north of its path. This low will also reinforce light northerly winds over the Red River Valley, tapping into the first of a series of Arctic highs that are slumping southwards out of the north. The cloudy skies and cool wind will result in temperatures a bit below seasonal with a high around -15°C in Winnipeg. No accumulating snow is expected today, either in Winnipeg or south of the city; it should remain south of the American border in the Dakotas.

Skies will clear out overnight as temperatures head to a low near -25°C.

Winnipeg will see light winds and sunny skies on Thursday with temperatures once again climbing to a high near -16°C. A low pressure system moving across the northern Prairies will begin spreading a milder air mass into the region in the evening; skies will cloud over as southerly winds pick up into the 20 to 30 km/h range. Temperatures will climb overnight to around -13°C early Friday morning.

Friday will mark the start of the major transition in temperatures over southern Manitoba. After reaching a high near -10 or -11°C, a cold front will sweep through region bringing a bit of light snow. Northwesterly winds will develop behind the front and temperatures will gradually begin to fall. The one saving grace will a rather extensive patchwork of cloud left in the wake of the cold front, which will prevent things from getting too cold. Temperatures will fall to a low near -20°C with a slight chance of flurries overnight.

Long Range Outlook

Temperatures will plummet across southern Manitoba this weekend as a large-scale pattern change happens, allowing bitterly cold Arctic air to spill southwards across the Prairies.

GDPS Forecast 850mb Temperature Anomaly valid 12Z December 25, 2017
Forecasts are showing a bitterly cold air mass in place over southern Manitoba on Christmas Day, represented here by 850mb temperatures over 20°C below seasonal values

This bitterly cold air mass will become entrenched over the region, bringing cold daytime highs at or below the seasonal overnight lows for several days on end. Looking towards Christmas Day, it looks like high temperatures will be around -24°C. This would be the coldest Christmas in 20 years, back to 1996 when the daily high was a frigid -27.8°C. No significant improvement in temperatures will occur through the remainder of next week.

Stay warm, Winnipeg!

Winnipeg’s seasonal daytime high is currently -11°C while the seasonal overnight low is -21°C.

More Snow on the Way

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A pair of low pressure systems working their way into the Prairies will spread snow eastwards into the Red River Valley today.

Under cloudy skies, Winnipeg will see temperatures climb to a high near -11°C today as snow develops through the morning hours. Once developed, the snow will persist through Friday night before tapering off on Saturday morning. Although it will snow for quite a while, it won’t be a particularly large snowfall event, with just 2 to 5 cm of snow expected in the Red River Valley. Further west, in parts of southwestern Manitoba and into the Parkland areas of western Manitoba, amounts will be higher with 4 to 8 cm expected by the time it tapers off. Temperatures will remain steady near -11°C tonight in Winnipeg with winds out of the east-southeast at 15 to 20 km/h.

RDPS Total Snowfall (10:1 SLR) valid from 12Z Friday December 15 to 15Z Saturday December 16, 2017
Winnipeg is forecast to recieve around 4-5 cm of snow by Saturday morning

Snow will taper off on Saturday morning, then some sunny breaks will work into the Red River Valley through the afternoon. Temperatures will climb to a high near -7°C with light winds. Mixed to cloudy skies are expected on Saturday night as temperatures dip to a low near -10°C.

Milder air will continue moving into the region on Sunday as Winnipeg climbs to a partly cloudy high near -4°C and winds out of the southwest at 15 to 20 km/h. Clouds are forecast to build back into the region on Sunday night, bringing a chance of flurries to the region as temperatures drop to a low near -7°C.

Long Range Outlook

Another big pattern shift will occur in the coming week, this time bringing the deep freeze.

GPDS Forecast 850 mb Temperature valid 00Z Sunday December 24, 2017
The forecast 850 mb temperatures reveal a significantly colder airmass in place over the reigon by late next week

A significant low pressure system will work its way across the Prairies on Monday and once it passes, a potent Arctic ridge is forecast to build into the Prairies from the northwest. This will usher a much colder air mass into the region that will plunge daytime highs down into the low minus teens by the later half of the week.

So get out there and enjoy the mild winter weather; it doesn’t look like it will be sticking around for too much longer!

Winnipeg’s seasonal daytime high is currently -10°C while the seasonal overnight low is -20°C.