Blizzard conditions Thursday Night into Friday, cold weather sticks around.

 Well I can confidently say we are again in for another streak of active weather , I really feel for all of you who are getting tired of this winter season it seems like we keep getting one Alberta clipper after the other.  The weather this next few days will be in part due to a consistent NW flow blizzard conditions are likely to impact the region with snow and blowing snow. You can thank all of this due to another stubborn Alberta clipper, yes I said it . Anyways on to our forecast now. 

(Above: Photo of the low pressure system that is forecast to go through southern sections of Manitoba and provide significant weather on Thursday night into Friday. The purple on the map beside the L indicates the strongest winds). 

Comedy Moment about the Alberta Clippers: Are we in a flashpoint reality or some endless time loop, from something out of DC comics The Flash Manitoba edition ??? It sure feels like it , we need Captain cold and killer frost to stop this endless cold and the flash to kick this winters kahoots, back to December and to do something to fix this. Don’t worry he will, we won’t have to worry about -200C temperatures anytime soon unless your on mars. Anyways don’t worry, we’re not dealing with captain cold or killer frost just old man winter at it again. Yes I have been watching the flash series. 

(Above:Timing of the blizzard conditions expected through the region, the worst of it will probably happen until 4pm tomorrow but around the 6pm hour on the American border.)

Thursday Night: A Alberta clipper will move into southeastern Saskatchewan this evening before moving into our region by the late evening hours, ahead of it increasing clouds will be moving in and a swath of snow will develop from just to the east of Brandon and Deloraine at the American border up to Dauphin and points north all the way to the Manitoba/Saskatchewan border. As this swath of snow moves into the region over the next several hours snow and blowing snow will impact the region from west to east, winds will gust up to 70km/h. A general 3 to 5cm is expected. The snow will leave the southwest region shortly after midnight, It will leave the rest of the region by the morning hours to early afternoon. Blizzard conditions will start in the early morning hours in the pre dawn hours in the southwest, and will move into the red river valley by early to mid morning. What I am expecting out of this is that winds will blow from 60km/h out of the NW with winds gusting to 80km/h and at times 90km/h, this will impact a large portion of the southern half of Manitoba. I’m expecting areas to experience near zero visibility at times. Temperatures tonight will drop into the mid to high minus teens and low minus 20’s (-15 to -21C), windchill values will drop into the low to mid to high minus twenties and low minus 30’s. Winnipeg will only see a windchill of minus 20C, whereas everyone else will see windchills from (-22C to -31C). 

Heading into the day on Friday the blizzard will continue into the afternoon with much of the severe winter weather easing by the early afternoon. I’m still expecting near zero visibility at times in the areas mentioned in the map above. Temperatures will rise into the mid to high minus teens in the afternoon, windchill values will be in the mid to high minus 20’s (-23 to -27C) during the afternoon with the blizzard. 

Friday Night: Calmer conditions will arrive by the evening, as arctic air filters in once again with a high pressure system sinking south across the Canadian prairies. Overnight Friday into Saturday temperatures will drop significantly, overnight lows will reach the mid to high minus 20’s (-25C to -30C) with windchill values of (-31C to -37C). 

The weekend: Another clipper system will move into our area and this one might pack a punch, the forecast snowfall rates appear higher, and the isobars as we like to call them as a measure of how strong the winds are around systems look to be quite tight (this means there is a probable chance for blizzard conditions or winter storm conditions on Saturday again. It appears this one will hit more of eastern Manitoba and some sections of southern Manitoba, with the highest amounts in Eastern Manitoba rounding up to about 5-10cm, and further west 2 to 5cm. Saturday will also feature high temperatures in the low minus single digits (-3 to -8C) and some places in the SW may get above 0C. Saturday night will feature a arctic front dropping south with a swath of snow and blowing snow that will only last a few hours in the south. Falling temperatures overnight are likely , with lows by morning in the low to high minus teens (-10C along the border to -15C in the RRV and -18C as you go north through the interlakes). Sunday will be a blah day again . 😆. Cloudy skies are likely with high temperatures in the mid to high minus teens (-14C to -19C) and windchills in the mid to high minus twenties (-24 to -29C) with areas around the Manitoba lakes feeling the low minus 30’s (-30C to -35C). Sunday night: Our well loved and hated foe high pressure will aid in dropping temperatures down into the mid to high minus 20’s (-24C to -29C), a few areas around -30 to -32C unfortunately we again will see windchill values in the mid to high minus 30’s (-32C to -36C) and a few locales in the interlakes going down to -40 to -43C. 

Well keep you updated on the storm possible for Saturday as new model data comes in. Feel free to check for updates on www.pivotalweather.com if you absolutely need to when I’m not around. -Mike McGregor