Winter Storm and blizzard conditions to usher in arctic air for the middle of the week

 Much of southern Manitoba will encounter some very unsettled weather over the next 48 hours or so, a low pressure system moves in from Alberta and impacts the eastern prairie provinces. The low currently sitting at 998MB will spread a large area of snow out ahead of it, which will inevitably create hazardous weather and driving conditions that is expected through Tuesday. This low will also usher in colder temperatures behind it, read more to find out what conditions are expected, when the snow will end and what temperatures we can expect after the storm.

A glance at snowfall totals for the southern half and central regions of Manitoba. Heavier amounts will likely miss the south. Much of southern Manitoba is in store for a significant winter storm as a result of a Alberta clipper moving into the area, this system will result in significant winter weather hazards. One of them being snow and blowing snow. Snow has already started in areas of western Manitoba and it will make its way east through the overnight period, the heaviest of the snow will setup in a line from Dauphin all the way through the interlakes region into the Nopiming provincial park areas. According to Justin “Looks like where the low pressure centre is areas north or it stand the best chance at heavy snowfall”, and that low pressure area will move from southwestern Manitoba into North Dakota shortly after midnight when the bulk of the snow moves into the area. Heavy snow will impact a large portion of the province into the central regions. In regards to snowfall amounts this is what we are expecting for totals (Estimations made by Justin):

Brandon - 5-8cm 

Dauphin - 10-15cm

Melita - 2-3cms

Killarney - 3-5cm

Portage la Prairie - 5-10cm

Winnipeg - 10-15cm

Gimli - 10-15cm 

Steinbach - 8-12cm

The heaviest amounts will fall in areas from the parklands regions into the interlakes with lesser amounts in the far south. Highway travel will not be recommended during the night and into Tuesday, Snow and blowing snow will contribute to poor highway travel. Another thing to note is a swath of 10 to 15cm is likely from just south of the Manitoba lakes including Winnipeg all the way east to Brandon, with a swath of 20 to 30cm possible in the interlakes into the Dauphin areas. 5-10cm is also a possibility south of the trans Canada highway. Temperatures during the overnight will stay fairly warm with lows in the high minus single digits (-5 to -10C) in areas along and south of the trans Canada highway with low temperatures in the mid to high minus teens (-12C to -17C) in areas north of the trans Canada mainly where the heaviest of snow is expected to fall.  

Tuesday: Snowfall is expected to continue through the day on Tuesday with lighter snowfall rates expected by the afternoon hours, the only issue is the winds. Winds will begin to increase in speeds from the western half of Manitoba by morning with the tighter gradients moving east into the red river valley by the afternoon. Blizzard conditions are likely in the red river valley by the afternoon with winds gusting upwards of 70 to 80km/h. There is a chance winds could gust up to 90km/h over the Manitoba lakes and downwind of the lakes, as well it may be possible that blizzard like weather occurs in the rest of the south, so please stay tuned to our Facebook page for updates. Regardless travel on roads and highways is not recommended on Tuesday. Highway closures may end up being possible as well. Temperatures will start out mild in the morning from where they were at the values above minus 10C in the south, before cold air filters in south during the afternoon. Temperatures will drop down to the mid to high minus teens (-14C to -19C), with windchill values in the mid to high minus 20’s possible. 

Tuesday Night: Possible blizzard conditions may continue through the evening, before clearing during the overnight period. It will signal the end to the snowstorm, unfortunately brittle cold will filter in. Temperatures will drop into the low minus 20’s (-20 to -25C) in the southeast with lows in the high minus 20’s in the southwest (-25 to -30C). Windchills in the mid minus 30’s in the east and the -40C range in the west. 

Wednesday: Will end up being one of the coldest days of the week, high temperatures will only end up warming up to the low minus 20’s (-20 to -25C), windchills will sit in the low to mid minus 30’s. Yikes!!! Much of the same is expected for the second half of the week. 

The next blog is scheduled for Friday . -Mike McGregor 🙏😊😊.