Moderate northwesterly winds will move through the region today, ushering significantly colder temperatures into southern Manitoba.

Hope you haven’t put the deep freeze gear away yet, Winnipeg, because another Arctic pipeline is about to set up and send substantially colder temperatures back into the Prairies. It all begins today as a cold front slumps southwards through the region behind yesterday’s potent low pressure system, ushering in northwesterly winds of 30 to 40 km/h. These gusty winds may produce some blowing snow through the Red River Valley, but visibility should remain better than it was yesterday at times. Skies will cloud over through the day as temperatures fall to around -19°C. Once the cloud moves in, there will be a chance of flurries but no accumulating snow is expected.

Temperatures will then drop to around -26°C tonight with fairly cloudy skies continuing.

Thursday will see the first of what may end up being many Arctic highs move through the region. Winds will remain light, but temperatures will reach a high of just -20°C under partly cloudy skies. Temperatures will dip to a low near -25°C on Thursday evening.

Skies will head back to being cloudy on Friday as a weak shortwave rolls across southern Manitoba, bringing with it the chance for some light snow. Temperatures will climb to a high near -17°C with light winds. Another Arctic high follows hot on the heels of this disturbance, though, and temperatures are expected to drop towards -30°C on Friday night as skies clear out.

Long Range Outlook

The long-range forecast looks cold, all thanks to the polar vortex.

Currently relatively week, the polar vortex will intensify over the coming days, shifting southwards from its current location near the Melville Peninsula – north of Hudson Bay – towards Southampton Island and the Kivalliq coastline of Nunavut. As it intensifies and shifts, the overall pattern over the Prairies will shift from the west-east flow that has brought relatively mild temperatures recently to a north-northwest flow that will allow bitterly cold air to work southwards out of the Arctic.

Temperatures over the next two weeks won’t be cold all the time; the occasional system passing through will drag waves of more seasonal air across the Prairies, but the general pattern will support those weak systems quickly being followed by another shot of very cold air.

This pattern is expected to last for the next 7-14 days, and will end when the polar vortex begins losing some of its structure and retreats northwards.

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