Unsettled Weather Expected To Continue

Portions of southern Manitoba will continue to see unsettled weather this weekend, with system after system tracking through our area. Despite the fact we will see more systems go through than what we are used to, we will still see above average summer like weather. We will continue to see cloudy skies today with the chance for the sun to poke through the clouds, at the odd time in the Red River Valley. Temperatures will warm to 7C as we get near the end of the day today. Winnipeg will then have a small chance for more cloud cover or showers as a weak warm front moves through our area.

Early this evening a new area of low pressure will form in Saskatchewan and move east into Manitoba as the night progresses. This area of low pressure will bring the chance for widespread isolated thunderstorms and rainshowers in East Central Saskatchewan throughout the evening hours. As instabilty levels will be quite high considering the MUCAPE will be at 400 J/Kg, LI at -4, and the shear around 40 knots. The cities in Saskatchwan that will likely be affected by the thunderstorm risk and showers include Saskatoon,Regina, Swift Current, Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, and Yorkton. Areas anywhere in the vicinity of this Cold Front could see the odd rumble of thunder or two.

The cold front will then enter into Manitoba around midnight allowing for an area of rain and a very small chance for thunderstorms to blossom near Brandon ( from north to south) and travel east as the night progresses. It will eventually hit the RRV by early in the morning, so don't be surprised if you hear the odd rumble of thunder as the atmosphere will still be a little unstable. Accumulations will be in the broad range from 5 to 15mm South, North and along the Transcanada Highway. Expect it to clear out by late morning, leaving us with sunny skies and beautiful temperatures expected near 15C.

The warmer weather is not meant to last, as yet another low will begin it's trek into the Prairies. Southern Manitoba will get past 20C before more possible clouds push in by mid evening. Light Rain with weak thunderstorms will push into the Red River Valley overnight Sunday and then will intensify Monday morning dropping another 5-10mm of rain, before moving into NW Ontario on Monday Afternoon. The track of these systems will depend of the placements of other weather features. Overall much of the Red River Valley, the next few days will be unsettled with pleasant temperatures in the low-to-mid teens and rain/thunderstorms every 24-36 hours. See Weather Maps from NOAAWatch for info..

More Showers and Possible Thunderstorms on the way for the next couple of days

Storm Picture from Monday Night
From TWN

Southern Manitoba has experienced a variety of Weather over the past couple of days including the gusty winds, thunderstorms, hail, rain, drizzle, snow and blowing snow. A potent storm system that brought heavy snowfall to western Manitoba and the inter lake regions, as well including thunderstorms and rain that hit Winnipeg, the Red River Valley and parts of Southern Manitoba has moved well east into Quebec. We are not out of the way yet, as another system is expected to march through Southern Manitoba tomorrow afternoon. (See My blog Article: Thunderstorms rumble through Southern Manitoba) 

For Today we will see a mix of sun and clouds with highs right in and around 5C across parts of southern Manitoba, just warm enough to melt away the snow we accumulated yesterday. However an area of low pressure made landfall off the coast of Oregon last night. This area of low pressure will travel to the east and lift northwards into the Central part Of Manitoba,bringing with it a cold front that will bisect the Prairies and slowly push eastward. This cold front is expected to push through the Winnipeg and the Red River Valley through the day on Thursday. We will see rain push through our area by mid morning and leave the area by early evening. Rainfall amounts currently look like they will be in the 10 to 15 mm range across Southern Manitoba, although it does look like their is a fairly good chance for some embedded thunderstorms that will be spread out within the rain showers. Don't be surprised if you get a little heavier rain in local thunderstorms.  Expect them to be mainly non severe in nature. We can expect a reprieve on Friday with sunny weather and a return to temperatures of around 10C, with the help of warmer air from the south. This weather will be short lived as another system is set to roll in for Saturday.

 

 This weather system is forecast to bring an area of showers/rain to the northern inter lake regions, anywhere from in between Swan Lake, and Berens river. Current Indicators tell me there will be a small chance for showers in southern Manitoba with the chance for the odd storm. Temperatures during Saturday will be mainly above normal near in and around 10C.

As for the weather over the next couple of weeks the cold arctic air will continue to be locked up in areas North of (60*) by not only the strong AO, but also by the strong polar Jet Stream. This means we have a chance once again for our temperatures to soar above normal as predicted by Environment Canada. This will be mainly a moderate chance as we have not experienced any significant warm ups since the beginning of March. The long wave pattern has also changed, (according to AWM Blog) it has shifted over to favour more disturbances tracking across the prairies. This should result in slightly warmer than normal weather, but certainly more rainfall that we have seen in march.

Second Round of March Thunderstorms Rumble Through Winnipeg and some parts Of Manitoba

Radar Image from EC at 0000 UTC

As predicted Winnipeg and Southern Manitoba saw the years second round of March Thunderstorms, and it did not disappoint. The evening started off fairly quiet in Manitoba ,with some gusty southeast winds and the odd rain shower. The quiet subsided and the first of the storms appeared on radar west of Dauphin where a cluster of storms formed at 18:00 CDT along highway 5. The storms that formed along highway 5 continued to travel to the northeast hitting areas like Winnipegosis and the northern lakes region. Hail, heavy downpours and intense lightning were reported at the storms greatest intensity where CB Cloud Tops reached an estimated 37,000 feet. Not long after a small storm cell formed and went over the city of Brandon and the RM of Cornwallis. Not much fell from that storm other than light rains and strong Lightning, it was enough to prompt EC to report a thunderstorm over Brandon.

At the same time there was a cluster of storms forming Near the Black Hills in NW South Dakota, at the ND/SD and CO border. This was the main focus for areas in Southern Manitoba later in the night, as they would be carried North along with the Low Pressure System and the fast flowing LLJ. At approx 12am the storms transitioned into a multi cellular line of storms as they crossed the border into North Dakota generating reports of  quarter size hail, gusty winds in excess of 50 mph, intense lightning, and very loud thunder. As a result the NWS issued severe thunderstorm Watches for the Western Half of North Dakota as they travelled northward. Unfortunately the same line of storms split up as they were about to cross the Manitoba border, leaving the more intense activity on more of the western edge of the line. Areas anywhere in between Melita and Winkler were affected. This left the less intense activity on the eastern edge where only showers were falling.

This whole story reversed as the storms crossed the border, in this case the storms on the western edge in areas like Killarney transferred all of the convective energy to the east allowing for more potent storms to form just south of Winnipeg. In this case the storms that formed started travelling to the N and developed rain with lots of lightning ,allowing for us in Winnipeg to see our second thunderstorm event of the year. There were a few reports of dime size hail in St.Vital for 5 to 10 min during the storms. For those who were in and around the storms it sure did bring a really good quality lightshow, one that we won't forget soon. Although all of that lightning did come at a cost, a lightning bolt was reported to have struck a transformer in the River Park South area resulting in 100 people being left without power. The power was restored a short while later, that is a great example of how powerful one flash of lightning can really be whether it be close or faraway.

Overall it was a night some won't soon forget. Yet more storms are possible throughout the coming months, and this may signal the beginning of a very active storm season.

(Right: Youtube- Storm In Winnipeg)

First Major Storm System of the year!

After a short period of warm weather over the past few weeks, it's time to head back to reality. Our first significant storm system of the year will roll through the southern part of Manitoba tonight and throughout tomorrow. This system will follow the cool and seasonable weather we have experienced over the past few days. Let's hope you are starting to get used to what spring really feels like in Southern Manitoba.

                                                     

                                                       NOAA 12Z Wx Map

A strong southeasterly wind will continue to blow out ahead of the low pressure system throughout the rest of the day today. Winds are forecast to be in the range of 40 to 60km/h across the Red River Valley. Later this afternoon spotty showers as well as the odd thunderstorm may develop in general rainfall amounts will be insignificant (small) with only a couple millimetres expected.

This storm system will really get going tonight and into tomorrow morning as strong to severe thunderstorms are expected to develop in the Dakota's. These thunderstorms will be initiated by a potent area of lift asscosiated with the low pressure system. Also a powerful low-level jet stream will provide a 2nd source of lifting and a strong moisture inflow. The result of the LLJ tonight will be the fast movement of air into the Northern Plains and Parts of Southern Manitoba. That movement of warmer and moist air into our area including the Red River Valley will provide support for some strong storms tonight. The possibility for severe thunderstorms definitely exists in portions of North Dakota. It is unlikely we will see any severe storms in Southern portions of the province, although a few stronger storms may sneak across the border. Some with the potential for hail and strong wind gusts, nothing even close to what we experience in our summer months.

The storms that form tonight in North Dakota will eventually move into southern manitoba during the overnight hours, regardless of their strength. Any Storms that travel up from the south will mainly produce heavy rainfall. Accumulations will be in the 5 to 10mm range, although higher in areas where thunderstorms pass by. 

Most of the precipitation will be over and done with in Winnipeg and the Red river Valley by Morning, with a risk for storms. Mainly cloudy conditions will persist during the day tomorrow. However, people who live in southwestern Manitoba wont be quite as lucky. Rain will change over to flurries by Tuesday night. The bulk of the snowfall will occur to the north such as riding mountain areas, with general amounts ranging from between 5 to 10 cm. Higher amounts can be expected due to regional upsloping.

Storm total rainfall amounts in Southern Manitoba will vary from place to place. Some estimates are listed below:

• Winnipeg: 10 to 15mm
• Steinbach: 10 to 20mm
• Brandon: 10 to 20mm
• Portage la Prairie: 10 to 15mm

Overall weather conditions will improve later in the week with above normal temperatures expected.

  

Temperatures once again becoming mild, with some plentiful rains possible by the weekend

NOAA Daily Weather Map for Saturday at 12Z,
as seen on this map rain and possible snow 
can be expected in southern Manitoba

The well above seasonal mild weather will continue for a couple more days this week before we get a cool down this weekend with a chance for showers or flurries. Temperatures can be expected to climb into the 20C degree range for Today if reached, this would be the third 20C day recorded this month, matching the total number of 20C March days in the past 140 years. Increasing clouds on friday night will give way for a chance of showers and flurries on saturday while a trough moves through our area. Cooler conditions can be expected from Sunday all the way through to Wednesday, during this time period and later on expect temperatures to be in the single digits. In fact temperatures will only be dropping to seasonal values, but you will have to forgive people that are not used to the seasonal temperature values. Temperatures are forecast to rise more above the normal for the last week of march and hopefully into April. Overall March will be definitely be a month to remember across the prairies and it will likely go into the record books as the warmest March on record in Southern Manitoba since records began in 1872. I will hopefully post an arcticle within the next week about this record breaking month...

Severe Thunderstorms Possible Later Today, In the Middle of March!

It has been a record breaking week and weekend with temperatures soaring past the 10C degree mark for several days in a row. Temperatures even managed to surpass 20C in some regions including here in Winnipeg, as well there was increased levels of humidity and that is the case today. Although today will be the last day that we experience record warmth and humidity, as a cold front will move through our region dropping temperatures well over 10 degrees. It will feel a lot cooler again for parts of Manitoba tomorrow, but temperatures will manage to stay above zero so frost is not likely.

The Records we have broken are as follows (Info from Rob's Blog)

List of record highs this past week in Winnipeg

Sun 11 ..... 12.8C (2012) (prev 12.5C 1981)
Mon 12 ..... 9.7C (2012) (prev 7.2C 1922)
Tue 13 ..... 12.2C (1902) (11.7C 2012)Wed 14 .... 11.4C (1981) (10.2C 2012)
Thu 15 ..... 14.4C (2012) (prev 11.1C 1927)
Fri 16 ...... 19.9C (2012) (prev 12.4C 1981)
Sat 17 ...... 19.2C (2012) (prev 12.8C 1938)
Sun 18 ..... 20.9C (2012) (prev 14.4C 1910) *earliest 20C reading on record*
Mon 19 .... 23.7C (2012) (prev 18.9C 1938) *new all time March maximum*

With a cold front coming through tonight combined with the warm temperatures, and high humidity we have a possibility of seeing the seasons first thunderstorms. It looks like the scattered storms will start to form around 6pm either to the west of Winnipeg, or to the east. Expect them to possibly move through our area bringing total rainfall amounts up to 15mm.  The main threats will be heavy rain,hail and possible straight line winds. Some storms may be severe. The storms will push north throughout the evening. As the cold front exits our area expect humidity levels to drop off, temperatures will cool and the winds will shift to the NW. This weather is very unusual for march, although it may give some well needed rains to drought affected areas.

The season's First thunderstorms mark an end to our unseasonably warm weather

Temperature Trend from Monday March 19th,2012

The season's first thunderstorms marched through winnipeg on Monday creating quite a lightshow for so early in the year. They unfortunately marked an end to our summerlike final day of winter over all parts of Southern Manitoba. As Record breaking temperatures well surpassed into the 20C range with summer like humidity. *(According to Rob's Blog)* In Winnipeg the Temperature hit an astounding 23.7C, the warmest march day in the city since records began over 140 years ago (1872). The Temperature reading beats the previous warmest March day of 23.3C set 65 years ago on March 27,1946.It was also Winnipeg's 5th consecutive daily record high, and the 7th in the past 9 days since this historic warm spell began on March 11th. 

This warm spell will definitely go into the Record Books. *(Also according to Rob's Blog)*Since Friday, Winnipeg has recorded 4 straight days over 19C. In the previous 140 years of March records, that mark has been reached on only 4 occasions in Winnipeg. In other words, it took only 4 days during this warm spell to match what took 140 years to accomplish. Amazing even for this time of year. This warm spell has also shattered records across the states and even in other parts of Canada, in both extreme and duration. Have a  look at this article: Winnipeg gets hit by thunderstorms and Record Breaking heat (Dr.Jeff Masters Blog)

More Records will likely be broken over the next 2 days, as the temperatures are once again forecast to hit the 20C range.

Record Breaking Weekend Ahead!

Southern Manitoba will see a potentially record breaking weekend ahead with potentially the first big heat wave of the year!  Since the week began we have broken 3 record temperatures and at least 4 other records are expected to be broken over the next few days. In fact there is also a chance that we will see the warmest weather ever experienced in March at the beginning of next week!

March has been surprisingly warm this year, with temperatures anywhere from 10 to 20C above the normal, after a unpleasant snow storm started the month with more than 15 cm of snow in some parts of the province. With most of the snow around still forecasters had a lot of uncertainty as to how warm the weather could get. The extremely warm air aloft, the warm sun, and a few days of having a southerly breeze has done a great deal in melting most of the snow! In fact just look at how much melted in North Dakota and in our Part of the Province (Left; Top: March 02,2012 snowcover vs. Bottom: March 15,2012 snowcover)There is still some snow left in SW MB. As well as Ice left to melt on the Manitoba Lakes, Rivers, and creeks before we can call it officially all melted. Although there hasn't been enough of it to keep our temperatures back. As a result we have managed to break several temperature records so far this week and that trend looks to continue at least for  thenextcouple of days.On Sunday we broke a record that was set back in 1981 at 12.5C making the new record temperature 12.8C, On Monday we broke a record that was set back in 1922 at 7.2C putting in it's place a temperature of 9.7C. Last but not least on Thursday we broke a record that was set back in 1927 at 11.1C making the new record 14.4C

850mb Temp from the
GEM REG Model

So what exactly is causing this unexpected warmth? As depicted on the map to the right a area of low pressure and a strengthening southerly flow will begin to allow plenty of heat and maybe some moisture into the northern plains including Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, as well here in Manitoba. The Warmth will extend all the way up north into Norway House.

Forecast High's for the next few days!

- Today March 16th: 21C 

- Tomorrow March 17th: 17C

- Sunday March 18th: 26C

- Monday March 19th: 26C

The top 3 hottest days ever recorded in Winnipeg in March are:

1. March 27, 1946: 23.3°C
2. March 23, 1910: 22.8°C
3. March 28, 1938: 20.6°C

Overnight CAPE of 2000 J/KG CAPE from
NAM is forecast on Sunday

 With the warm weather forecasted and highs in the 20's It looks like we will likely break the all time warmest March temperature Today, Sunday and Monday. There is one more thing that will also be a possible weather maker on the weekend "Thunderstorms"! There is a possibilty into sunday night into monday where we could see some overnight thunderstorms or what we call nocturnal thunderstorms. What we look for when forecasting thunderstorms include Moisture,Instability, Shear, and a Trigger. Here is a breakdown of what we are looking at for Sunday Night. For Moisture: Dewpoints are forecast to be near 15C, Instability: Models vary but we could see 2000J/KG of CAPE,Shear: 50-60kt of 0-500mb bulk shear and for a Trigger we have an advancing area of low pressure from the states that could provide enough energy to get things going. I will keep tweeting Via Twitter and provide you with the latest on the temperatures and thunderstorms! 

Data and some info is in part from AWM Blog

Manitoba Spring Outlook 2012

It has definitely been a long dreary winter for us in Manitoba with the continuous days of seeing temperatures in the minuses, snowfall and of course the cold blasts of wind from the windchill. Although spring is around the corner and not far off, only 10 days away. So with the return to budding of the trees, greening of the grass and warmer weather. What can we expect for the spring of 2012 here in Manitoba? Well taking into account the lack of snow cover over Manitoba this winter, the steady weakening of La Nina, Long Range Forecast Models, and the current/forecasted conditions of the Arctic Oscillation. We can expect to see a very welcoming Spring For Manitoba!

Overall we can expect above normal temperatures across most of the Province including here in Southern Manitoba, and Winnipeg. Areas in the northernmost regions will experience more normal temperatures for their region. On Average Temperatures will be in and around the 20C range in the south, and in the North around the mid teens.The Warm air will be a result of the Positive Arctic Oscillation, and a very strong northerly tracked jet stream that will keep all of the Arctic air locked up in Alaska and in British Columbia (as shown on the temperature map above). If you are wondering about any cold weather, that won't be a big issue. If we experience any below normal temperatures they will be very short lived and very minimal. If all goes well this trend will continue into the summer months with a possible emergence of El Nino as projected by various models, meaning a continuation of this warm weather and a return to possible wetter than normal weather conditions.

Those wondering about our precipitation we can expect to see normal precipitation amounts across most of the province including big towns like Winnipeg,Dauphin,Brandon and Winkler. The frequency and amounts will increase as you go northward especially in northernmost communities in Manitoba. This expected pattern is a result of an active storm track that will position itself over the northern prairies, resulting in lower amounts over central and southern Manitoba. On average expect 300mm in total for the southern part of the province, and 500 mm for the northern part of the province. That might mean we could have a lesser chance for flooding, but an increased risk for a drought down the road her in southern Manitoba!

Let's hope our spring turns out as forecasted!
Check out the spring weather forecasted by theweathernetwork, and Accuweather.

Records smashed as Warm March weather continues!

An unseasonably warm push of pacific air over the weekend in southern Manitoba, made for several record high temperatures yesterday. That included Winnipeg where a high of 12.8C was recorded,dominating the previous record set back on March 11th of 1981 at 12.5C. Other records that were broken included a very warm 14.8C in Pinawa (previous record 13.2C in 1995) and 14.6C in Melita. Where was the hottest in Manitoba yesterday? It was Wasagaming in Riding Mountain National Park at 15.8C. Other records Across Manitoba were broken as well.

Temperature Outlook for March 21st to 28th,
notice how the warm weather covers most of
North America

The record warm weather is expected to continue over the rest of the week and into next week with temperatures remaining well above normal and in the range of 7C to 25C for daytime highs and overnight lows above zero in between -1C and 14C. All of the warm temperatures will aid in melting the rest of the snow pack, hopefully it will be gone by the end of this week. More record highs possible for the rest of the week as listed below!

(Information above and below Courtesy of Rob's Blog)

Date... REC HIGH (year) - Winnipeg Airport (data since 1872)

Sun 11 ..... 12.8C (2012) (prev 12.5C 1981)
Mon 12 ..... 9.7C (2012) (prev 7.2C 1922)
Tue 13 ..... 12.2C (1902) (11.7C 2012)Wed 14 .... 11.4C (1981) (10.2C 2012)
Thu 15 ..... 14.4C (2012) (prev 11.1C 1927)
Fri 16 ...... 12.4C (1981)
Sat 17 ...... 12.8C (1938)
Sun 18 ..... 14.4C (1910)
Mon 19 .... 18.9C (1938)

Warmer Weather Headed our way!

Expect today to be the coldest day of the week after an area of low pressure made it's way through our area, bringing with it snow over some parts and behind it cool arctic air that will sink south throughout the day. Warm Weather will return by Saturday, as the cold air will stay locked up in the arctic with a strong positive AO, and a strong west to east zonal flow. If we get any cool blasts they will be very short lived.

Upper Level Pattern over
the next few days

All models are suggesting that this trend will likely continue, with temperatures remaining above zero across southern Manitoba for the next few weeks. Hopefully the warm weather will melt some of the snow we have received over the past several weeks. Although how warm we will get really depends on how much snowcover we have, areas around winnipeg will likely see the warmer air earlier as their is a less dense snowcover, and the black sod from farmers feilds should really help keep the heat, and melt the snow. Those who like warm weather it's just around the Corner!

For more details and info on the forecasted warm weather try these links: Environment Canada Weather for Manitoba, Accuweather Manitoba Forecasts, Weathernetwork Manitoba Forecasts, Wunderground Manitoba Weather, CBC Manitoba John Sauder and Unisys Weather 850 MB Temperature Loop

I'll have my spring outlook for Manitoba this weekend, Stay Tuned!

                                         (Top Right: Brett Anderson's ECMWF Model; Middle: AO Index; Bottom: Accuweather Pattern Forecast)

                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                                

Active Weather Map for: Tuesday March 6th,2012

Image Courtesy of AWWS

I will be using these images when active weather is happening in manitoba! Look for more over the coming months!

String of deadly Tornadoes hits the United States

Setup for the tornado outbreak of March 2nd,2012

_{As I mentioned back on Friday morning there was going to be a possible tornado outbreak for today, that's exactly what happened. Through Friday a total of fifteen states were hammered by the worst Tornado Outbreak in Years! The day started off fairly vigorous for people in the states, at 6am a squall line of thunderstorms along the cold front marched eastward through the plains bringing intense frequent lightning, hail to the size of golf balls at times, and high winds in excess of 60+ miles/hr or 96 km/hr. That same line moved eastward with the cold front throughout the morning into the eastern states, where it entered the warm moist gulf air mass and high shear environment. As a result it transformed into a line of tornado producing super cells at 9am.That is when the first few Tornadoes started. At around 9 am a Tornado hit North of Huntsville Alabama. The Tornado Apparently severely damaged houses and heavily damaged a high school.}

(Left: Truck on it's side in front of a gas station, in Henryville,IN)

_{Later On in the afternoon a long lived Tornadic Supercell Formed just north of the Ohio river dropping tornadoes in communities of southern Indiana including Marysville and Henryville.The Community of 1000 people in Marysville was completely destroyed, the nearby town of henrysville was also destroyed. One resident describes the scene like a war zone! "Cars were thrown across the road,street signs were down, homes were decimated, the metal in the ground, the railings for the roads were completely ripped out of the ground and some were in cars. As well Semis and Trucks were overturned." Many other communities were affected by the tornadoes in Indiana during the afternoon hours.}

Radar Image of the tornado entering West Liberty,Kentucky

Tornado Damage in West Liberty,Kentucky

_{Once the evening hours came around (approx 5pm CDT) another Tornado extensively damaged the downtown region of West Liberty,Kentucky.This Time it was affected by an EF3 Tornado, with winds in excess of 220 km/h.}

 

 Data Courtesy of Accuweather.Weathermatrix.com

Satellite Image of the tornado outbreak as it was occurring

Tornado Stats

Death Toll: 31 and rising*
States Affected: 15*
Total Warnings: 660
Area Covered: 38,000 sq. mi.
Tornado Warnings: 281
Severe Thunderstorm: 356
Lightning Strikes: 156,399
Total Spotter Rpts: 809
Tornado Reports: 95
Funnel Cloud: 51*
Wind Reports: 246
Hail Reports: 417

Overall It was a significant Tornado Outbreak, one we will not forget for a long time! there were many stories of survival, courage, and miracles during the recovery efforts, yet they still continue. I can guarantee you those stories will be featured on the news over the next few days. To find out how you can help please visit: http://www.redcross.org/contactus/

Severe Weather Outbreak Possible in the States Today

After a brief reprieve from severe weather in the states on Thursday, expect another possible round today. The Storm Prediction centre has issued a high risk outlook for Kentucky, Moderate risk for states surrounding Kentucky, and a slight risk for all other areas. All of this is forecast with a warm layer of surface temperatures in the teens to the twenties, increasing moisture values, ML CAPE in excess of 1500 to 2000 J/KG. As well with an increase in deep layer flow shear/effective bulk shear near 70 knots and effective SRH of 300-400 M2/S2. Combine all these values and a cold front that will go through this will produce numerous severe thunderstorms and a risk for dangerous tornadoes.

Already as of 12 noon CDT there have been numerous reports of severe weather in the states including reports of hail the size of quarters in places ranging from Florissant in St. Louis County to Hermann, about 60 miles southwest of St. Louis. And there have already been 2 reports of tornadoes in Huntsville, Alabama leveling houses and damaging a school and a jail. There is still more severe weather on the way, please take caution and listen to your NOAA weather radio's for more updates.
Also: Head here
I will have a full summary on the tornadoes tomorrow. For all those weather geeks, you will have a good read tomorrow as my post will be long (longer than this one)!

Expect snow Today and another day of possible Severe Weather in the States

After a repreive from snow over the past several weeks, expect another round today as an area of low pressure and a trowal moves across and along the international border. Bringing with it a large swath of snow ranging from 2 to 10 cm across the red river valley and the south. As of last night we have recieved a total of 6cm already. Expect the snow to taper off later this afternoon as the system moves east into Ontario and Minnesota. Cooler weather can be expected into monday before we see a return to very mild conditions.
I will have details later on a  possible tornado outbreak in the states expected today,as it begins unfolding. As well I'll have an outlook into our spring this year in a week or so!

Snowfall totals from March 2nd,2012

(Snow from a few weeks ago)

(Stats from and courtesy of Rob's Blog)

That system sure gave Manitobans a surprise, we got more snow than first thought. Snowfalltotals were in and around 10 cm in winnipeg and across the N RRV, and as much as 20cm over the southern red river valley. Snowfall warnings were issued in Morden,Winkler, and Altona because of the signifiant accumulations. That's no surprise considering we we were lucky all winter.(Right: Just look at the difference in snowcover from a few weeks ago, compared to what we have now)


Snow as of yesterday

Winnipeg.......... 10-12 cm
Stony Mtn ........ 9 cm
Landmark ........ 10 cm
Steinbach ......... 10 cm
St Labre ............ 16 cm /SE of Steinbach/
Winkler ............. 19 cm
Morden ............. 15 cm
Altona ............... 15 cm
Pinawa.............. 12 cm
Falcon Lake ...... 6 cm