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.

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.

A stagnant weather pattern will continue to funnel Arctic air southwards into the Prairies, continuing the cool temperatures across southern Manitoba.

A slow-moving vortex over Hudson Bay continues to support an outbreak of Arctic air across the eastern Prairies this week. Between this system and a high-amplitude upper ridge over the west coast, northerly winds through the region will be maintained for a few more days yet.

As a result, temperatures will stay stuck below seasonal values. Today will be the coldest day of the week, the cold air bolstered by the passage of a disturbance yesterday. The high in Winnipeg should reach around -6 °C with temperatures dipping to about -8 to -10 °C by the time kids start heading out to prowl the neighbourhoods for Halloween.

Heading through the rest of the work week, the city will see daytime highs close to the freezing mark and overnight lows dipping into the -5 to -10 °C range. Skies will be mixed over the coming days and winds, aside from a bit of a breeze this evening, will be light.

No notable snowfall is expected, but a few light flurries could be possible through the week.

Long Range Outlook

Little change is expected to the pattern beyond weakening slightly in the days ahead. This will mean that daytime highs should continue to hover at or just below freezing into next week along with overnight lows dipping below -5 °C.

There are some early indications that some snow may be possible early next week; we’ll continue to keep an eye on that system as it develops.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is 4 °C while the seasonal overnight low is -5 °C.