Winter Storm Brings Bitter Arctic Cold

Hot on the heels of the first significant dump of snow Winnipeg has seen this winter, a winter storm will move through on Tuesday bringing more snow followed by bitter cold.

The lingering snow in Winnipeg will taper off early this morning, bringing an end to the first significant snowfall of the season. Between 10 and 15 cm of snow fell across the city overnight. The city will see cloudy skies through the day with temperatures climbing to a high near -8 °C. The brisk northerly winds in place this morning will taper off for the afternoon. The cloud cover should push off to the east tonight, leaving partly cloudy skies as temperatures head to a low near -13 °C.

Winnipeg’s set to see a notable winter storm beginning Tuesday. A potent clipper system will track across the Prairies, spreading heavy snow along the Trans-Canada corridor in Saskatchewan Monday night and across Manitoba on Tuesday. The snow will begin mid-morning in Winnipeg and continue right through Tuesday night. The city could see up to 20 cm of snow from this storm by Wednesday morning.

RDPS 24-hr. Snow Accumulation Forecast (at 10:1 SLR) valid 09Z Wednesday December 23, 2020
A potent clipper system will spread a swath of 10 to 20 cm of snow along the Trans-Canada Highway corridor Monday night through Tuesday.

While the snow alone will produce inclement conditions through the day, it will get worse heading into the evening. Northerly winds will strengthen into the 30–40 km/h range. Blowing snow will develop across the region and persist through the night into Wednesday morning before tapering off. The combination of snow and blowing snow will likely produce periods of poor visibility on area highways on Tuesday night.

This storm system will push mild temperatures into the region with a high near -3 °C on Tuesday. Behind it, Arctic air will begin surging southwards. The city will see a low near -18 °C by early Wednesday morning.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 12Z Thursday December 24, 2020
A bitterly cold Arctic air mass will spur into Manitoba on Wednesday night.

The winds will gradually ease in Winnipeg on Wednesday with clearing skies. Arctic air will continue to push southwards through the day with temperatures falling to -21 °C by the end of the day. Between the cold air pushing into the region and the 20–30 cm of snow likely to be on the ground at the time, temperatures will plummet on Wednesday night to a low near -28 °C with clear skies.

Long Range Outlook

The cold weather will last through Thursday, but by Friday more seasonal temperatures are forecast to return to the region. No significant snow events are in the forecast through the weekend.

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

More Light Snow As Temperatures Warm

Winnipeg will continue to see sporadic bouts of light snow as mild air pushes across the province.

Winnipeg will see some more light snow today as a weak low pressure system moves through the province. The light snow will mainly fall in the morning, tapering off by midday. Temperatures will warm back up to a high near -4 °C with southerly winds of 20–30 km/h easing and eventually turning to the northwest. The cloud cover will break up a bit tonight with temperatures dipping to a low near -14 °C.

Thursday will be quite a pleasant December day in Winnipeg as a weak ridge brings partly cloudy skies to the region. Temperatures will stay mild with a high near -5 °C and winds picking up out of the southeast into the 20–30 km/h range in the afternoon. Skies will cloud back over on Thursday night with southerly winds picking up to 30 gusting 50 km/h. The city should see a low near -8 °C early, then temperatures will slowly warm up overnight.

RDPS 24hr. Accumulated Snowfall (at 10:1 SLR) valid 21Z Friday December 18, 2020
A low pressure system crossing Manitoba on Friday will bring more snow to the region.

More light snow will move through southern Manitoba on Friday as a low pressure system moves across the province. The snow will again likely be primarily a morning concern; a potent Arctic front will plough through the region midday, pushing the snow off to the east and ushering in northwest winds up to 40 gusting 60 km/h. Temperatures will reach a high near -3 °C before the cold front moves through, then drop close to -10 °C by the end of the afternoon. The winds will ease on Friday night with clearing skies and a low near -20 °C.

Long Range Outlook

The cold will again be short-lived with warmer weather quickly pushing back into the region. Temperatures will climb back into the mid-minus single digits for the weekend. The milder conditions will again come with cloud cover and a chance for some light snow. The best chance of accumulating snow will be on Sunday when a low is forecast to move across the province.

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

End of Weekend Brings Colder Weather

Winnipeg will see temperatures slowly drop towards seasonal values as several weak disturbances moving through the region draw cooler air southwards.

A blanket of low cloud entrenched over the region will keep temperatures seasonably mild in Winnipeg today. The city will see temperatures climb back to around -2 °C with light southeasterly winds. There’s a small chance of some flurries later today into the evening as a weak low moves across the region. The cloud cover should break up a bit tonight with light northeast winds and a low near -12 °C.

A ridge of high pressure will move across the region on Saturday and keep winds light. Temperatures will again be seasonably mild with highs recovering to around -4 °C. The city will see partly cloudy skies through the day. An approaching low will spread cloud into the region on Sunday night as temperatures head to a low near -8 °C.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 12Z Monday December 14, 2020
The coldest weather so far this season will arrive Sunday night as temperatures plunge into the -20s across most of Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

A low pressure system crossing the province on Sunday will bring cloudy skies to Winnipeg. Temperatures will start off seasonably mild with a high near -6 °C, but a cold front will sweep through the Red River Valley midday and bring breezy northwest winds of 30–40 km/h behind it. This cold front will give a small chance of some light snow, then begin ushering in a much colder air mass. The cloud cover will break up on Sunday night with temperatures heading to a low near -22 °C.

Long Range Outlook

Winnipeg will start the new week with seasonably cold conditions, but by mid-week milder air pushes back into the region. It won’t be as warm as it has been, but highs could return to the mid-minus single digits.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -9 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -19 °C.

Mild Temperatures Turn Cooler For Sunday

Winnipeg will see a couple more mild days before a cold front sweeps through the region.

Another push of mild air will push into southern Manitoba today as a low pressure system moves through the northern Prairies. It will bring more cloud to the region as temperatures climb towards a high near +1 °C. Winds will pick up out of the south to around 30 km/h for the afternoon then taper off in the evening. Some gusty winds will likely persist along the western escarpment into the evening hours as more warm air continues to push into the region. Temperatures will dip to a low near -5 °C with mixed skies tonight.

Winnipeg should see more cloud on Saturday with a few sunny breaks as temperatures climb back to +1 °C. A cold front will sweep through the Red River Valley in the evening, ushering in moderate northwest winds up to 40 gusting 60 km/h. Temperatures will drop quickly to a low near -11 °C with a bit of light snow moving through overnight.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 03Z Sunday November 29, 2020
Mild temperatures will be ushered out of southern Manitoba on Sunday evening as a cold front sweeps through the region.

Sunday will bring significantly cooler temperatures to the region as an Arctic ridge moves through. Northwest winds near 30 gusting 50 km/h will continue for much of the day with temperatures rebounding slightly to a high near -9 °C. Skies will clear out through the day, followed by easing winds towards the evening. Winnipeg should see a low near -15 °C on Sunday night.

Long Range Outlook

Temperatures will climb back to seasonably mild values next week as an upper ridge redevelops and floods the Prairies with another wave of Pacific air. High should climb back into the -5 to 0 °C range with sunny weather turning cloudier midweek.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -6 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -14 °C.