Warming up in Winnipeg, but Colder Temperatures Lurk Nearby

Temperatures are warming up in Winnipeg, but a battle between warm and cold air is setting up over the province.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 06Z Saturday January 25, 2025
A cold front will sweep through southern Manitoba on Friday night, bringing gusty northwest winds and some blowing snow.

To end the work week, a warm front will push through the Winnipeg area this morning. This front will bring a couple centimetres of light snow and moderate southerly winds as it pushes through. The snow will ease midday behind the front with winds shifting to the west. Temperatures will climb to a high near -2 °C this afternoon.

More snow will move into the region this evening, driven by a cold front following the warm front through the province. Another couple centimetres of snow will fall along with northwest winds up to 40 gusting 60 km/h. These winds will send temperatures back down into the mid-minus teens tonight and bring some blowing snow to the region.

Saturday will bring cooler, near-seasonal temperatures back to the region with a high just under -10 °C. Northwest winds will continue through the day at around 30 gusting 50 km/h, then ease off in the evening. A few flurries will be possible in the morning, then skies will clear. Another warm front will push into the region overnight, warming temperatures from a low in the mid-minus teens up to around -10 °C by Sunday morning.

On Sunday, a southwesterly breeze will bring mixed skies as temperatures climb into the -5 to 0 °C range. Temperatures will continue to warm towards the freezing mark on Sunday night as westerly winds of 20 to 30 km/h continue.

Long Range Outlook

Heading into next week, long-range forecasts show mild conditions for Winnipeg with daytime highs regularly near the freezing mark. There’s some uncertainty, though, as to whether the warmth will be able to stay in place over the region.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 21Z Monday January 27, 2025
A sharp temperature gradient will set up over Manitoba next week, with above-freezing highs and the south and Arctic cold in the north.

The Polar Vortex is forecast to dip southeast into eastern Canada, and a strong temperature gradient will likely set up across Manitoba as a result. Daytime highs could reach above freezing over parts of southern Manitoba while temperatures into the -20s and -30s will be possible over northern Manitoba. With such a strong temperature gradient in place over the province, minor changes in front location could result in large swings in expected temperatures.

It will likely be a mild week next week, but minor features could also result in brief outbreaks of rather cold temperatures later in the week.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -12 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -23 °C.

Clouds Move In As Temperatures Warm

Cloudier conditions will move back into Winnipeg as a major pattern change brings long-term warming to the region.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 12Z Saturday December 21, 2024
Warmer weather will begin working east across the Prairies on Friday night.

After a sunny start today, cloud cover will gradually build into southern Manitoba as warmer air gradually pushes across the Prairies. The weather pattern over the next week or longer will be heavily impacted by the large-scale shift of the upper-level weather pattern. The Polar Vortex, which has been anchored over Baffin Island in Canada’s Eastern Arctic, is shifting back towards the North Pole, and will then continue to move into the Arctic Ocean north of Siberia. This will allow Pacific air to wash east across the Prairies, sending temperatures, eventually, to well above seasonal values.

For Winnipeg, skies should become mixed later this afternoon and cloudy overnight. Temperatures will climb to a high near -18 °C with light winds shifting southerly.

Skies will cloud over tonight with south winds picking up to around 20 km/h. Temperatures will dip into the -20s this evening, then warm to around -15 °C by morning with the thickening cloud.

The weekend will bring cloudy skies to Winnipeg with highs just below -10 °C on Saturday and just a bit warmer than -10 °C on Sunday. Some light snow will be possible on Saturday as a warm front pushes across the region, but no notable accumulations are expected. Overnight lows will sit in the -15 to -10 °C range both Saturday night and Sunday night. Additionally, southerly winds of 30 to 40 km/h will develop over the region for Saturday, but should be calmer on Sunday.

Long Range Outlook

Heading into the holidays, warmer weather will continue to build across southern Manitoba. Temperatures will climb to around 0 °C by Christmas Day, then continue to warm into the 0 to +5 °C range for much of the rest of the week.

No significant precipitation is expected next week. The warmer conditions will last through next weekend, then a crash back towards colder weather is likely for the new year.

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

Mild Fall Stretches On

The mild fall conditions seen across southern Manitoba will continue into mid-November. There will be weather, though: after a blustery Tuesday, Winnipeg will see several chances for rain over the next week.

RDPS 10m Wind Forecast valid 18Z Tuesday November 12, 2024
Strong southerly winds will develop over the Red River Valley today.

Temperatures will stay well above seasonal values in Winnipeg this week as mild air continues to flood into the southern Prairies. While winter weather isn’t that far away — the farther reaches of northern Manitoba and southern Nunavut have seen temperatures near -20 °C or colder already this year — that cold air won’t be making its way south any time soon.

Rather, winds will stay more southerly and westerly over the coming week, bringing daytime highs 5 to 10 °C above seasonal values and keeping overnight lows equally mild.

Starting off with today, it will be a seasonably mild day but marked most notably by strong southerly winds. with the region squeezed between a high pressure system to the southeast and a low pressure system in northern Saskatchewan, southerly winds will strengthen into the 40 to 50 km/h range today with gusts as high as 70 km/h through the Red River Valley. Temperatures will climb to a high near 7 °C this afternoon as skies cloud over.

Cloudy skies will continue through the night as southerly winds gradually taper off into the 20 to 30 km/h range. The cloud and wind will keep things mild with lows dipping just below 5 °C.

On Wednesday, temperatures will rebound back into the upper single digits as a trough of low pressure moves through the region. That trough will bring a chance of some light midday rain showers that clear out of the region for the afternoon. Some sunny breaks are possible as skies likely clear out heading towards the evening. Those southerly winds will also ease in the morning, then switch to light northwesterlies behind the trough.

Temperatures will head to a low near freezing on Wednesday night with light winds and clear skies. Some fog patches could develop overnight and last into Thursday morning.

On Thursday, more cloud will develop over southern Manitoba as another low pushes into Saskatchewan. Temperatures will again climb into the upper single digits as winds shift back out of the south and strengthen into the 20 to 30 km/h range. The low in Saskatchewan will lift northeast through the day, lifting its warm front with it and bringing the Red River Valley into its warm sector. This should bring clearing skies on Thursday night with a low in 0 to 5 °C range and southerly winds of 15 to 20 km/h.

Long Range Outlook

On Friday, Winnipeg should see a beautiful mid-November day in the warm sector of the low tracking through the province. Daytime highs could be as high as +10 °C with sunny skies and a southerly breeze.

The warm weather will persist into the weekend, but another low moving into the area will bring cloudier skies with a good chance of rain on Saturday. Conditions will settle on Sunday with mild weather lasting right into Tuesday.

Tuesday/Wednesday next week will likely bring more rain to the region with temperatures likely beginning to cool off behind it. That said, there’s quite a bit of discrepancy in the guidance at this point; some keep it relatively mild, while others bring a sharp cold snap into the region.

Either way, there’s at least another week of pleasant, mild November weather ahead. Hope you can enjoy it!

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -1 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -8 °C.

November Warmth Continues This Week

Southern Manitoba will recover from the weekend rain quite nicely with warming temperatures and lots of sunshine.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 21Z Thursday November 7, 2024
An upper ridge will begin to push mild weather into Manitoba later this week.

A ridge of high pressure will bring plenty of sunshine to the Winnipeg region today with light winds. Temperatures will climb to a seasonably mild high around 6 °C this afternoon. Tonight, a decaying low pressure system will begin to spread cloud cover into the region as temperatures head to a low down to around -3 °C.

Tomorrow, Winnipeg and the Red River Valley will see mainly cloudy skies as the decaying system mentioned above moves through. The clouds will keep it cooler with a near-seasonal high in the low single digits and winds will continue to be light. Skies will gradually clear out tomorrow night with a low down near -5 °C.

For the rest of the week, an upper ridge will build into the Prairies, bringing sunshine and warm weather. Daytime highs will climb into the 5 to 10 °C range with lows near freezing or warmer for the second half of the week. Winds will become more present on Thursday with southerly winds strengthening into to 30–40 km/h range for the afternoon. Winds will become calmer again on Friday.

Long Range Outlook

Pleasant conditions will last right through the weekend with seasonably warm daytime highs and mainly sunny skies. The pleasant conditions will continue into the start of next week week, but temperatures will begin to moderate towards more seasonal values.

The next chance for precipitation looks to come in the middle of next week, and it could come as a mix of rain and snow. It doesn’t look like accumulations will be all that much, but we could see the first coating of snow of the season. Temperatures will continue to be mild, though, so it’s unlikely that the snow will stick!

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is +2 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -7 °C.