Mild and Windy Weekend Ahead

Winnipeg will see cloudy skies and warm temperatures for one more weekend before cooler temperatures return.

Winnipeg will see cloudy skies with a chance of flurries as another disturbance moves through the region today. Temperatures will be mild with a high near -2°C with light winds. A weak ridge of high pressure will cross the province tonight, keeping skies on the cloudier side and winds light. The city will dip to a low near -9°C.

The major weather maker for the weekend will move into the Prairies on Saturday. A rather strong low pressure system will begin pushing into central Saskatchewan on Saturday, bringing with it a strong push of mild Pacific air. Winnipeg will see more cloud on Saturday with increasing south-southeast winds to 30 gusting 50 km/h. Temperatures will climb to a high near -5°C, then continue to climb overnight to around -2°C. The winds will ease for a short period on Saturday night, then pick up out of the northwest to 40 gusting 60 km/h early Sunday morning as the low passes.

GDPS 10m Wind Forecast valid 18Z Sunday January 5, 2020
Moderate west-northwest winds will develop over southern Manitoba on Sunday in the wake of a departing low pressure system.

Sunday will be a windy day with winds gradually easing to 30 gusting 50 km/h as temperatures stay steady near -3°C. There will be a chance for a few flurries as the clouds finally begin pushing off to the east. The departure of the low will usher in a significant pattern change for our weather, bringing an end to the persistent seasonably mild conditions that have been in place for a while now. Temperatures will dip to a low near -12°C on Sunday night and continue to cool into next week.

Long Range Outlook

Winnipeg will likely see a fair amount of sunshine through the first half of next week, but daytime highs will slip from around -10°C into the mid-minus teens. A weak low is forecast to pass through mid-week, which will then usher in another push of colder air, sending highs even cooler towards -20°C for the end of the week. No significant snowfall is forecast.

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

Breezy But Continuing Mild in Winnipeg

A breezy northwest wind won’t manage to bring an end to the seasonably mild stretch of weather in Winnipeg.

Breezy northwest winds near 30 gusting 50 km/h will persist in Winnipeg toady as a Colorado Low storm system departs to the east. Unlike most other times, though, this wind isn’t the harbinger of a deep freeze; rather, temperatures will keep roughly where they have been lately with a high near -9°C. Skies will be cloudy through the day with the remnant light snow tapering off. The wind will persist at 20 to 30 km/h tonight with the cloud cover gradually breaking up. Winnipeg will see a low near -15°C, although if the clouds are more stubborn and stick around longer it’ll be closer to -11 or -12°C.

The lack of cold temperatures over the past couple weeks is largely due to the positioning of the Polar Vortex, a persistent winter feature over the Northern Hemisphere. A variety of factors impact where it, and the bitterly cold air associated with it, moves. When the vortex descends into Hudson Bay, it results in the brutal cold snaps across the eastern Prairies.

For the past couple weeks, however, the Polar Vortex has been trundling about the High Arctic. This has kept the coldest temperatures further north and allowed milder Pacific air to cross the Rockies into the Prairies more often. Fortunately (for cold-weather haters), the Polar Vortex is forecast to stay in the High Arctic for the next while. This will allow Winnipeg to continue to see relatively mild temperatures through the rest of the week.

RDPS 10m Wind Forecast valid 21Z Monday December 30, 2019
Breezy northwest winds of 30 to 40 km/h will be in place over the Manitoba Lakes and Red River Valley today.

On Tuesday, a ridge of high pressure will cross Manitoba, bringing an end to the breezy winds and mixed skies. Daytime highs will once again be around -9 or -10°C across the region. A broad area of low pressure developing over the western Prairies will push more cloud into the region on Tuesday night along with southerly winds around 20 km/h. Winnipeg’s low will dip to around -12°C.

2020 will start off with relatively pleasant winter weather in Winnipeg. The broad area of low pressure will move into Manitoba on Wednesday. Skies will be mostly cloudy and while no organized snow will move through, a few flurries are possible. Temperatures will be mild with a high near -4°C. The chance for flurries will continue on Wednesday night with temperatures dipping to around -7°C.

Long Range Outlook

The rest of the week looks seasonably mild with plenty of cloud cover. While a few flurries are possible, no organized snow looks likely until the weekend when another low moves through and brings the chance for accumulating snow to the Red River Valley.

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

A Break From The Deep Freeze

A stretch of mild weather will develop in Winnipeg this week with temperatures even climbing back towards 0°C on the weekend.

Today will mark the start of a large-scale pattern change that will cut off the supply of Arctic air to the Prairies. A westerly to southwesterly flow aloft will develop through the rest of the week, pushing warmer Pacific air gradually eastwards. Before the city sees the warmer temperatures, though, the colder air needs to vacate. Today will be the day for that; it will be a rather typical “transition day” for Winnipeg.

Moderate southerly winds of 30 to 40 km/h will persist through the day under mostly cloudy skies. There will be a slight chance of flurries this morning, but snow will likely stay mainly north of the city. Temperatures will climb to a high near -13°C.

Temperatures in Winnipeg will head to a low near -15°C tonight with diminishing winds under partly cloudy skies.

RDPS 10m Wind Forecast valid 18Z Wednesday December 18, 2019
Moderate southerly winds will be in place over south-central Manitoba on Wednesday.

Thursday will bring mostly cloudy skies to the city again with a high near -10°C. Winds will be light out of the north-northeast. Temperatures will dip to a low near -13°C on Thursday night under cloudy skies with a chance of flurries.

A warm front will approach the province on Friday, keeping things cloudy with a chance for some light snow. Temperatures will continue to warm with a high near -8°C in Winnipeg. The winds will stay light, but shift to southerly.

The warm front and its parent low will push across the province on Friday night into Saturday. This will bring southerly winds of 20 to 30 km/h to Winnipeg for the night with a low near -12°C.

Long Range Outlook

Pacific air will wash over southern Manitoba on Saturday, bringing seasonably mild warmth to the region. Temperatures will climb to around 0°C this weekend with overnight lows in the -5 to -10°C range. Plenty of cloud will stick around, but by the weekend some sunny breaks look likely as well. Temperatures will cool slightly to start the new work week with daytime highs dropping into the -5 to -10°C range with overnight lows dipping into the minus teens.

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

Friday Snow Gives Way to Cold Weekend

An inverted trough bringing snow to Winnipeg today will usher colder weather back into the region for the weekend.

An inverted trough crossing the province this morning will continue to bring snow to Winnipeg. Accumulating snow will continue through the morning then taper off through the afternoon. Much of the region will see 5 to 10 cm of fairly fluffy snow. Brisk northerly winds near 30 gusting 50 km/h will develop in the afternoon which will usher in cooler temperatures ahead of an approaching Arctic high. The combination of new fluffy snow, some lingering flurries, and moderate winds will likely produce areas of blowing snow in rural areas. Skies will clear overnight with winds of 20 to 30 km/h and temperatures dipping to a low near -25°C. Wind chill values are forecast to dip into the -35 to -40 range.

RDPS 24 hr. Snow Accumulation Forecast (Kuchera Ratio) valid 00Z Saturday December 14, 2019
Much of southern Manitoba will see 5 to 10 cm of snow today; amounts will be closer to 5 cm along the U.S. border and increase to almost 10 cm across WestMan and the Interlake.

An Arctic high moving into the province on Saturday will bring sunny skies and cold temperatures. The wind will taper off through the morning and temperatures will climb to a high around -20°C. Skies will stay clear with light winds on Saturday night as temperatures dip to a low near -28°C.

Winnipeg will see some cloudy periods on Sunday as the Arctic high exits the region and cloud and warmer air begins pushing in from the west. Winds will gradually pick up out of the south to around 20 km/h by the end of the day. This cool southerly outflow from the high will keep temperatures cooler again with a high only around -17°C. A few flurries are possible through the day with mixed skies and a low near -22°C.

Long Range Outlook

Next week looks to bring variable temperatures with highs generally in the -10 to -20°C range with overnight lows in the low to mid-minus 20s. No significant snowfall is in the forecast and the city will likely see a fair amount of sunshine.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -10°C while the seasonal overnight low is -19°C.