Tag: Below-Normal Temperatures

Light Snow Leads to Brief Cold Snap

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A disturbance passing through southern Manitoba later today will bring light snow followed by moderate northwest winds. Colder air will slump into the region behind it for the end of the work week, but temperatures will rebound quickly through the weekend.

RDPS 24hr. Snowfall Forecast (10:1 SLR) valid 12Z Wednesday February 14, 2024
A low pressure system will leave a swath of fresh snow across southern Manitoba on Tuesday.

Winnipeg will sit under mainly cloudy skies today with southerly winds picking up to around 30 km/h ahead of a low pressure system moving in from the west. Temperatures will be mild with highs near -4 °C this afternoon. Light snow will move across southwest Manitoba today and reach Winnipeg by mid- to late-afternoon.

The snow will continue eastwards through the evening, tapering off to flurries overnight with around 2–3 cm of fresh snow left behind. Temperatures will dip to lows in the -10 to -5 °C range across the Red River Valley tonight.

It will be pleasant on Wednesday with highs again near -5 °C and westerly winds in the 20 to 30 km/h range. With that warmth will come more cloudy skies, though. A cold front will sweep through the region later Wednesday, bringing breezy northwest winds and cooling temperatures. Skies will likely clear out on Wednesday night, letting temperatures drop to a low in the mid-minus teens.

Thursday will finally bring sunshine to the region with northwest winds of 20 to 30 km/h and a high in the -15 to -10 °C range. Unfortunately, those winds will make it feel like it’s in the -20s. An Arctic high will continue to slump southwards through the Prairies through Thursday night; as it drops south, the winds will ease in southern Manitoba and temperatures will head to a low likely near -25 °C.

Long Range Outlook

Southern Manitoba will be under the grip of the Arctic high on Friday. The region will see plenty of sunshine with highs that struggle to climb into the -20 to -15 °C range.

The axis of coldest air will then shift off to the east for the weekend. Temperatures will return to near-seasonal values with breezy westerly winds on Saturday. The near-seasonal temperatures should persist into next week, then likely be followed with another surge of Pacific air that will send temperatures back towards freezing.

Fortunately, it looks like the region should see plenty of sun this weekend which will be a welcome change from the copious amounts of cloud cover the region has seen over the last while!

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

Cold Weather Lasts Through the Week

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It will be a cold week in Winnipeg with below-seasonal temperatures and variable cloudiness.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 12Z Thursday January 18, 2024
Although the Polar Vortex will move off to the east, cold air will linger across the Prairies through the week. In an unusual twist, it will briefly warm up in northern Manitoba as Atlantic air wraps westwards over the eastern Arctic and into the region.

The Polar Vortex will sit over eastern Canada this week with a cold trough hanging westwards across the Prairies. As a result, much of the region will see below-seasonal temperatures; fortunately, the ruthless cold that was entrenched over the western Prairies will moderate away from those extreme values.

In Winnipeg, the city will see more light snow today with skies on the cloudier side through Wednesday. Daytime highs will climb into the -15 to -20 °C range with west-northwest winds of 20 to 30 km/h. The snow won’t accumulate too much; the city may see a few centimetres accumulation over the next several days.

Overnight lows will mainly sit in the -25 to -20 °C range. Winnipeg and area will likely see more sunshine in the second half of the week.

Long Range Outlook

Heading into the weekend, the Polar Vortex is forecast to finally shift eastwards out to the Atlantic, weakening the cold air over the Prairies and allowing a more progressive pattern to develop. Upper ridging will build into the Prairies over the weekend, spreading milder air into the western Prairies.

This will help bring temperatures back to seasonal values through the weekend, although will likely bring cloudy skies back to the region.

Next week, skies will continue on the cloudier side, but temperatures will climb to above-seasonal values. Daytime highs will climb back towards the -5 °C mark with lows close to -10 °C.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -13 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -24 °C.

#below_seasonal_temperatures

More Snow on the Way, Then the Bitter Cold Arrives

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Another disturbance moving through Manitoba mid-week will bring another swath of accumulating snow to the region. Behind it, bitterly cold Arctic air will sweep into southern Manitoba.

ECMWF Total Snowfall Forecast valid 12Z Tuesday January 9 to 00Z Friday January 12, 2024
Many areas will see 10 to 20 cm of snow by the time it tapers off on Friday. The snow will likely be fluffier than this model image depicts and amounts could end up slightly higher than depicted here.

For today, a weak ridge of high pressure moving through the region will bring near-seasonal highs in the mid-minus teens to the Winnipeg area. Light southerly winds will pick up to around 20 km/h in the afternoon, bringing wind chill values of -20 to -30 to the region.

The next weather system of note will begin to push into the region tonight. Cloud cover will spread across southern Manitoba as it pushes a warmer air mass into the region. Light snow will spread across southwest Manitoba overnight and begin to push into the Red River Valley early Wednesday morning. Temperatures will dip into the -15 to -20 °C range in the evening and then warm up closer to -10 °C by Wednesday morning.

2 to 5 cm of new snow is likely through much of western Manitoba tonight.

On Wednesday, the low pressure system will drop to the southeast with an inverted trough that lingers to the northwest in its wake. This will support a slow-moving area of light snow that lingers over the Red River Valley through Wednesday and into Thursday. Accumulation rates will be light, but because the snow will linger for a long time, it will result in one of the larger snowfalls of the season.

From Wednesday morning to Thursday morning, 5 to 10 cm of new snow is likely in the Red River Valley, but that number increases into the 10 to 20 cm range to the northwest in parts of Western Manitoba, focused around the escarpment west of Lake Manitoba and Winnipegosis.

Temperatures will reach a high near -7 °C in Winnipeg on Wednesday, but a cold front will sweep through on Thursday night and mark the beginning of plummeting temperatures.

The snow will taper off later Thursday as northwest winds increase into the 20 to 30 km/h range. Temperatures will fall through the day, reaching close to -20 °C by evening. The cloud cover will begin to break up overnight as temperatures head to a low in the -20 to -25 °C range.

On Friday, the cold air will settle into the region as a large Arctic High begins to push across the Prairies. Winnipeg’s temperatures will climb back into the -20 to -15 °C range with northerly winds hovering around 20 km/h. Skies will likely be on the cloudier side as a glancing disturbance spreads more cloud cover across the southern Prairies.

That cloud will prevent temperatures from dropping too much on Friday night with lows back to around -25 °C.

Long Range Outlook

The Arctic High will continue to slump eastwards across the Prairies this weekend, eventually clearing skies. Temperatures will plummet into the -20s this weekend with a chance of overnight lows dipping to around the -30 °C mark.

The region could end up contending with wind chills below -35 on the weekend.

A push of warmer temperatures will move through the Prairies early next week, but guidance suggests that it will occlude southwards well before it reaches Manitoba. A small moderation in temperatures is possible early in the week, followed by another push of colder temperatures.

Little accumulating snow is in the forecast for next week, but flurries will be possible across several days.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -13 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -24 °C.

Colder Weather to Push Into Southern Manitoba

Brad Leave a comment

There will be a shift in the weather across southern Manitoba this week as a cold front sweeps through the region and ushers in wintery temperatures. The cold snap will be short-lived, though, with a relatively quick return to near-seasonal conditions.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 00Z Thursday November 23, 2023
An Arctic high will begin pushing into the Prairies on Wednesday night and allow colder air to spill southwards through the region.

After a rather busy period over the last few weeks, it’s nice to be back with some time to forecast. I hope you’ve all been able to enjoy the pleasant extended warmth so far this November. The cold weather will come eventually, so it’s nice to keep it at bay as long as possible late into the year.

Heading through the rest of the week, the main weather system will be a clipper-like system that tracks across the southern Prairies on Tuesday night into Wednesday. Daytime highs will continue to sit around 0 °C or a bit warmer as northwest winds taper off and shift to light southerlies. Winnipeg will see plenty of sun today, but some cloud will move in tonight and stick around into Wednesday morning.

A cold front will sweep through the region later on Wednesday, ushering in moderate northwest winds of 30 to 40 km/h. Skies will clear out with the winds and temperatures will begin to drop. An Arctic high will slump into the region, bringing much cooler weather with it.

For the second half of the week, overnight lows will dip into the minus teens; likely into the -15 to -20 °C range Wednesday and Thursday night, and then moderating into the -10 to -15 °C range for Friday night. Daytime highs will also follow suit, dipping into the -5 to -10 °C range.

Long Range Outlook

A disturbance will move into the region on the weekend, bringing some cloud and a chance for some light snow as well. With the cloud will come temperatures that moderate back towards seasonal values, dipping slightly cooler at times.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -4 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -12 °C.