Brief warmup followed by risk of extreme cold ☹️☹️

 It appears southern Manitoba may be in for a very brief but extremely warm period of weather over the next 24 hours, you can thank this change to a warm front moving through in the morning hours as a low pressure system moves into the region. This system unfortunately will bring in another round of unsettled weather before colder weather returns behind it. (I’ll be going back to forecasting individual cities in the province by the weekend. (Including Winnipeg Brandon and Dauphin.) Read on to find out about your outlook for the second half of the week 😊. 

Above: The CMC model , showing the 2M temperature anomaly for the day Wednesday. Temperatures will be well above there seasonal averages with some places being as warm as 8 to 12C above  normal. This trend will be short lived however. 

 Today: Much of southern Manitoba can expect cloudy to partly cloudy skies as a we are in the warm sector of a low pressure system moving through southern sections of Manitoba, by mid afternoon a swath of snow should be setting itself up over the region. It will however be a brief but quick period of snowfall,, only about 3-5cm of snow can be expected across the southern half of Manitoba. Temperatures this afternoon will soar into the low minus single digits with some areas along and south of the trans Canada highway seeing highs in the low plus single digits between 0 and 3C. Tonight: A cold front will begin to cut through the region by the early evening hours, bringing in a chance of some flurries and a risk of blowing snow. Afterwards clearing skies will allow for temperatures will drop drastically, with overnight lows plummeting into the high minus teens (-15 to -20C) and windchills in the high minus twenties (-25 to -30C). 

Thursday: Expect one of the nicer days of the week, sunny skies and partly cloudy conditions in the presence of a arctic high pressure system will bring high temperatures back into the mid to high minus teens (-15 to -19C),, with windchills in the low to mid minus twenties (-20 to -25C). By Thursday night a large swath of the region will see more cloud roll in ahead of another warm front temperatures in the high minus teens to low minus 20’s (-17C to -22C) with windchills in the high minus 20’s and low minus 30’s (-26C to -32C). Before temperatures moderate by morning towards the high minus teens (-15 to -19C). 

Friday: Partly cloudy to mostly cloudy skies are likely during the day ahead of a warm front forecast to move closer to the region, cloudy skies are likely in the western half of the region with some sun and cloud in the eastern half of the area. Nothing in the way of precipitation is expected, maybe a slight chance of flurries for those in the west. Temperatures will sit in the low to mid minus teens (-10 to -16C) in the eastern half of Manitoba and areas in the western half of Manitoba will see highs in the high minus single digits into the low minus teens (-8C to -14C). Windchills will sit in the low minus teens to high minus teens across the board (-10 to -18C). Friday Night: Much of the region will see temperatures warm overnight into the mid to high minus single digits (-5 to -10C), with the exception of the eastern half of the south where overnight lows will only warm into the low minus teens (-10 to -13C). That is usually our average daily high temperature, surprisingly enough.

Saturday and Sunday: A brief period of warm weather is expected on Saturday with a chance of flurries forecast, with highs in the mid to high minus single digits (-5 to -9C). Overnight lows on Saturday will drop again for the southeast and south central with lows in the mid to high minus double digits (-15 to -19C). In the west overnight lows will stay in the mid to high minus single digits (-5 to -10C). Sunday will be a beautiful day with highs once again in the mid to high minus single digits across the south (-4 to -8C). Overnight Sunday expect low temperatures not to budge much as cloudy skies will linger and provide that ingredient to keep the warmth at ground level . Overnight lows will drop into the low minus teens in the pembina valley (-10 to -15C), and areas in the southeast seeing lows in the high minus single digits (-5C to -8C) with areas in the southwest seeing highs in the high minus single digits and low minus teens -8 to -12C). 

Enjoy the rest of your week 

-Mike McGregor