Snow will come to an end over the region today as the storm that’s been stalled over the region finally moves east. Sunnier skies will return for the weekend as a high pressure system settles over the province.
A broad area of high pressure will settle across the eastern Prairies this weekend.
Snow continues to wrap into southern Manitoba this morning, but conditions will improve through the day. As the low responsible for our weather continues to trundle eastwards into Ontario, snow gradually weaken and taper off over southern Manitoba. It will be a bit of a slick and slippery morning as temperatures dip below zero and combine with fairly strong northerly winds near 50 gusting 70 km/h.
Temperatures will rebound to a high of only around +2 °C.
Skies will clear out tonight as winds ease to around 20 km/h. Temperatures will dip to a low in the mid-minus single digits.
For th weekend, a ridge of high pressure will build into the region and bring cool but settled conditions. Winnipeg and area will see variable cloudiness through the weekend with daytime highs in the mid- to upper-single digits. Overnight lows will likely dip into the -5 to -10 °C range.
Long Range Outlook
Next week will start off with quieter weather as temperatures gradually move towards more seasonal values. Some rain may be possible across the region late next week.
Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is 13 °C while the seasonal overnight low is 0 °C.
It will be a bit of an unpleasant day in Winnipeg today as breezy northerly winds combine with light snow and cooler temperatures. Nicer weather is on the way soon, though, with plenty of sun and warming temperatures through the weekend.
Moderate northerly winds will develop over the Red River Valley for Friday afternoon.
Winnipeg will find itself on the back side of a rather potent low pressure system moving from the United States into Ontario today. The region will see breezy northerly winds up to 40 gusting 60 km/h today, driven by the passing low and the approach of an Arctic high from the northwest. Along with that, a weak inverted trough slumping southwards will bring some light snow to the region. These two things will combine to produce some blowing snow in the region, but will mainly be limited to outlying areas and southwards through the Red River Valley. Temperatures will struggle to reach even -10 °C today, and head back into the mid-minus teens overnight. The wind will be stronger this afternoon, then ease overnight.
Skies will clear for Saturday, leaving behind sunny skies for the weekend. Temperatures will climb into the -5 to -10 °C range on Saturday and then into -5 to 0 °C range on Sunday. Overnight lows will sit in the -10 to -15 °C range. Of note, though, is that with full sunshine in mid-March, areas that aren’t just barren snow-covered fields will definitely see temperatures higher than this. It won’t be surprising for many parts of the city to see temperatures in the -5 to 0 °C range this weekend and to see plenty of melting despite the sub-freezing air temperatures.
Long Range Outlook
The start of next week will cool just a bit, then warm up again heading into mid-week. Some snow is possible on Wednesday as a disturbance moves through the region, but it will also likely bring a shift to daytime highs around freezing.
With no major snowfalls on the horizon and several days of sunshine ahead, it will continue to gradually feel more spring-like in Winnipeg; enjoy the pleasant weather this weekend!
Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is +0 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -11 °C.
After a few dud events over the region snow is finally on its way to the Red River Valley, but exact amounts are still uncertain.
A stubborn Arctic High will remain entrenched over northern Manitoba as the next disturbance brings moderate easterly winds to the Red River Valley.
It’s been a complex weather situation over the Red River Valley over the past few days. The snow we earlier this week did develop as expected, and in fact, over the past few days was visible on RADAR as it streamed northwards over the region. But a stubborn Arctic High entrenched over northern Manitoba complicated things substantially.
This high was pumping copious amounts of cool, dry air into the northerly flow over the region which was pushed underneath the snow lifting northwards. This dry air ended up evaporating most of the snow before it managed to reach the surface. As a result, we saw little to no snow through the region over the past few days despite it falling a few thousand feet above ground.
This setup continues today, with cloudy skies and a slight chance of flurries. Temperatures will reach a high near -2 °C this afternoon, the d up down into the -5 to -10 °C range tonight.
The third system we talked about in our last forecast is now developing in the west and will begin bringing snow to Saskatchewan tonight and then spread across Manitoba on Saturday. The snow will begin in Winnipeg mid- to late-morning on Saturday and persist to the evening before beginning to ease. Moderate easterly winds up to 40 gusting 60 km/h will accompany the snow, producing blowing snow across the region in the afternoon.
There is still some uncertainty with snowfall totals. Like with the previous systems, weather models have struggled to fully capture the impact of the Arctic High entrenched over the Northern Prairies. As a result, model runs have been slowly shifting the expected track of this system further south over the past few days, reducing the amount of snow over many parts of the Prairies. But the models do seem to be stabilizing their tracks, and it looks reasonable at this point that Winnipeg will likely see 5 to 10 cm of snow with this system.
The ECMWF snowfall forecasts have begun to stabilize with 5 to 10 cm of snow for Winnipeg and higher amounts to the south and west.
Further south, snowfall totals could rise quickly, especially along the western escarpment where snow will be enhanced by the persistent easterly winds. Heading southwards through the Red River Valley, accumulations will likely increase into the 10 to 20 cm range. The higher snowfall amounts coupled with the strong winds could result in very poor travel conditions, particularly near the International Border, on Saturday afternoon.
Temperatures will hover around -6 °C on Saturday, then dip down close to -10 °C on Saturday night.
Some light snow will linger through Saturday night and then taper off on Sunday. Temperatures will linger in the -5 to -10 °C range through the day under cloudy skies, then dip to a low in the -15 to -20 °C range overnight as skies clear.
Long Range Outlook
In the wake of this system, skies should clear as cooler air floods into the region. Seasonably cool temperatures will move into the region to start the week with highs generally in the -5 to -10 °C range.
Another disturbance will move into the region mid-week and could bring some more accumulating snow to the area along with warmer seasonal temperatures.
Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -2 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -12 °C.
Benign, near-seasonal conditions will stick around for Winnipeg this week. The weekend looks to bring warmer weather back to the region.
A push of warmer air will begin to move into Manitoba later Thursday.
Winnipeg will see quiet weather for most of the week as an Arctic high builds into the region. This one won’t be too bad, only sending daytime highs down to the -10 to -15 °C range for Wednesday. Overnight lows the next couple nights will dip down into the -20 to -25 °C range.
On Thursday, a stiff southerly wind will develop as the high departs the region. Winds will strengthen up to around 40 gusting 60 km/h with the morning chill breaking through the day. Temperatures should climb to a high in the -5 to -10 °C range.
On Thursday night, a push of much warmer air will continue moving into Manitoba. The cloud cover will thicken up on Thursday night, keeping lows warmer near -10 °C.
On Friday, the warmer temperatures will climb to a high near the freezing mark with a chance of afternoon flurries.
Long Range Outlook
The warmer weather will persist through the weekend with highs in the -5 to 0 °C range. The region will see variable cloudiness with a bit more sun likely on Saturday and a bit more cloud on Sunday. Quiet, mild weather will continue for Monday, then a disturbance moving into the region could bring a chance for some light snow later on Tuesday into Wednesday.
Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -5 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -16 °C.
