Mild Week Brings Wednesday Night Snow, Windy Friday

Mild temperatures continue across the Red River Valley, but Winnipeg will see accumulating snow Wednesday evening.

Winnipeg will see temperatures climb to a high near 0°C again today with southeasterly winds increasing to 30 gusting 50 km/h. The city will see variable cloudiness through the morning, then skies will cloud over through the afternoon hours as a low pressure system arrives. Snow will spread into Winnipeg and the northern Red River Valley later this afternoon. Winds will ease in the evening as the low centre moves through, then pick up out of the northwest overnight. By Thursday morning, Winnipeg will see 5 to 10 cm of new snow with northwest winds up to 30 km/h. Temperatures will dip to a low near -5°C tonight. The accumulating snow will taper off overnight.

ECMWF 24 hr. Snowfall Accumulation (10:1 SLR) Forecast valid 18Z Thursday March 5, 2020
A low pressure system moving across southern Manitoba will give 5 to 10 cm (2 to 3.5″) of snow to the region by Thursday morning.

On Thursday, skies will clear out through the day as the low exits the province. Moderate northwesterly winds in the 30 to 40 km/h range will stick around for the day, then ease in the evening. Winnipeg will see a near-seasonal high of -3°C. Mixed skies will develop overnight as winds shift to the south at 10 to 20 km/h. Lows should dip to about -12°C.

On Friday, another low pushing towards the region will generate strong southerly winds in the Red River Valley. Winds will strengthen into the 40 to 50 km/h range by midday as temperatures climb to a high near 0°C.

RDPS 10m Wind Forecast valid 00Z Saturday March 7, 2020
Strong southerly winds will develop over the Red River Valley on Friday.

It looks like Winnipeg will see a fair amount of cloud, but some sunny breaks are likely. The wind will gradually ease on Friday night as temperatures head to a low near -3°C. Skies will stay mostly cloudy through the night.

Long Range Outlook

Mild weather will continue into the weekend with highs at or above freezing on Saturday. A fairly expansive low pressure system will spread snow across the southern Prairies on Saturday, pushing into Manitoba on Saturday night through Sunday. Winnipeg will likely see some snow from this system, but it’s unclear right now exactly how much the city will receive.

Model forecasts suggest that the heaviest snow will be well north of the city, falling from WestMan eastwards across the Interlake and onwards to the Ontario border. If this were the case, Winnipeg would see somewhere around 2 to 5 cm of snow from this system. That said, small changes in the track of this system, north or south, could significantly change the amount of snow the city receives. We’ll take a closer look at this system’s snowfall potential in Friday’s forecast!

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -4°C while the seasonal overnight low is -15°C.

Mild With Bouts of Snow

Warm weather continues in Winnipeg, but the city will see occasional snow over the coming days.

A relatively zonal flow across the Canadian Prairies will persist over the coming days, keeping temperatures seasonably mild with the cost of frequent disturbances moving through. In Winnipeg, this means that while the city will continue to see highs near the freezing mark, there will be a fair amount of cloud and several chances for snow.

Today, the city will see increasing cloud as a low pressure system moves into the province from the northwest. Winds will strengthen out of the south to around 40 km/h by midday as cloud thickens up and light snow slowly pushes into the Red River Valley. Winds will ease this evening and then shift west-northwest and increase to 30 gusting 50 km/h overnight. The light snow will taper off through the night with accumulations of 1 to 2 cm. Temperatures will dip to a low near -4°C with a continued chance of flurries overnight.

On Tuesday, a weak ridge of high pressure will move across the province. The cloud cover will gradually break up through the day as temperatures climb to a high near -1°C. The city may see some flurries through the morning hours. Winnipeg will see north-westerly winds through the day of around 20 km/h that ease to light in the evening. Temperatures will dip to a low near -11°C on Tuesday night with partly cloudy skies.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 00Z Tuesday March 3, 2020
Another low pressure system will move across southern Manitoba on Monday, bringing light snow to the region.

Skies will cloud over again on Wednesday as the next low pressure system moves into the province. Winds will pick up out of the south into the 30 to 40 km/h range as the low approaches the region. Temperatures will climb to a high near 0°C with light snow beginning in the afternoon. The city will see periods of snow on Wednesday night with winds turning southwest then gradually westwards.

Model forecasts diverge and show the heaviest snow occurring either just north of Winnipeg or just south of the city. Regardless of the track, it looks like up to 10 to 15 cm may be possible. At the moment, solutions generally agree with 2 to 5 cm of snow in Winnipeg by Thursday morning. That said, we’ll track this system as it develops and monitor the trend on the track for the heaviest snow. Depending on the track, Winnipeg could end up seeing heavy snow on Wednesday night.

In addition to the snow, there will also be a risk of some freezing rain across the region, particularly from the late afternoon until around midnight. Temperatures will fall to a low near -2°C.

Long Range Outlook

Winnipeg will see mild but windy conditions on Thursday as temperatures return to the freezing mark with moderate to strong northwest winds. The rest of the week looks to continue mild with breezy conditions reappearing for Friday (southerlies) and Sunday (northerlies). Occasional flurries are possible, but it looks like there’s no organized snow chances until the second half of the weekend into the new work week.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -5°C while the seasonal overnight low is -15°C.

Mild Weekend Ahead With A Windy End

A series of low pressure systems moving through Manitoba will bring mild temperatures back to the region for the weekend.

Winnipeg will see temperatures climb back towards the freezing mark this weekend as milder Pacific air builds into the region. This warmth will come in two waves, each tied to a low pressure system moving through the province. The first low will move into northern Manitoba today and spread seasonal temperatures back into southern Manitoba. With skies becoming mixed today, Winnipeg will see a high near -6°C today. Winds will be light through the morning hours, then pick up into the 20 to 30 km/h range for the afternoon and evening.

Skies will cloud over for the night with temperatures hovering around -5°C. Winds will gradually ease through the night.

On Saturday, a second low pressure system will begin to move towards the province from Saskatchewan, pushing warmer conditions towards the region. The city will see mostly cloudy skies, but temperatures will climb to a high near 0°C with light southerly winds. It will cool only a bit on Saturday night with a low near -3°C.

GDPS 10m Wind Forecast valid 18Z Sunday March 1, 2020
Moderate west-northwest winds will develop across southern Manitoba on Sunday.

The low will move across Manitoba on Sunday, sweeping a cold front across the region through the morning. Temperatures will stay seasonably mild with a high near -1°C, but moderate west-northwest winds of 40 to 50 km/h will develop behind the front. Skies will continue to be mostly cloudy and there will be a chance for some flurries as front moves through and cooler air pushes into the region. Temperatures will begin to head back towards seasonal values on Sunday night with a low near -12°C under clearing skies. The winds will taper off through the evening hours.

Long Range Outlook

Warm weather looks to continue into the beginning of next week as Pacific air continues to flow over the Prairies. There will be a couple stronger low pressure systems moving through the province in the first half of the week. The first will likely keep well to the north of Winnipeg and mainly impact central and northern Manitoba. The second, however, may swing through further south and bring a notable snowfall to southern Manitoba Tuesday night into Wednesday.

That said, there is still significant disagreement among the forecast models as to how this next series of lows will evolve, so for now we’ll sit tight, enjoy the warm weather, and take another look at things at the start of the new week!

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -6°C while the seasonal overnight low is -16°C.

Milder Temperatures on the Way for Winnipeg

Temperatures will warm dramatically through the second half of the work week, reach near-freezing values on Friday.

Before the warm weather arrives, though, is one more cold day. Winnipeg will see a seasonably cool high of -17°C today as an Arctic ridge exits the region. Skies will be sunny and winds will be light out of the west. Warmer temperatures will begin working into the region tonight with southerly winds picking up into the 20 to 30 km/h range. Temperatures will dip to a low near -25°C.

Thursday will be a breezy day with south-southwest winds near 30 gusting 50 km/h. The wind will be even stronger near the western escarpment of the Red River Valley where downsloping winds will reach 40 gusting 60 km/h. Winnipeg may see a bit of cloud in the morning as some passes by mainly to the north of the city, but overall the city will see mainly sunny skies through the day.

RDPS 2m Temperature Forecast valid 21Z Thursday February 20, 2020
Temperatures will begin to warm on Thursday, but won’t reach their potential until winds shift more westerly on Thursday night.

Temperatures will climb to a high near -9°C by the end of the day, held back slightly by cold air in the return flow from the high. Winds will remain breezy and shift slightly more westerly overnight. As soon as that westerly component to the wind shows up, temperatures will rise up to around -6°C.

Winnipeg will see plenty of sunshine on Friday with winds gradually tapering off. Temperatures will warm a bit more with a high near -2°C. Skies will stay clear on Friday night with temperatures dipping to a low near -8°C.

Long Range Outlook

More warm weather is ahead for the weekend with temperatures near the freezing mark and partly cloudy skies. The warm weather will stick around for Monday, then increasing cloudiness will accompany a cold front that will move through the region later in the day. Temperatures will return to slightly cooler than seasonal values for the rest of the week with highs around the -10°C mark.

Today’s seasonal daytime high in Winnipeg is -7°C while the seasonal overnight low is -18°C.