Record Heat Hits Southern Manitoba

It was a record breaking day altogether on Wednesday for parts of Southern Manitoba, as a southerly flow pumped pumped up some of the hottest air of the year into the area. Temperatures rose into the mid to high 30's over the Red River Valley and Southwestern Portions of the province. In Winnipeg it was the 20th day this summer with high temperatures of 30C or higher (normal should be 13), Winnipeg's high temperature of 35.4C Wednesday tied July 29th as the hottest day of the year in the city. Record Temperatures were set elsewhere in Brandon at 36.9C, and in Dauphin at 37.9C which was the hottest spot in the country. Even hotter weather was recorded south of the border including minot at 40C in North Dakota and 44C in Chamberlain, South Dakota.


Record temperatures across Southern Manitoba Wed Aug 29... (Courtesy of Rob's Blog)

                        New      old     record  records
Location               record   record    year    began
--------------------------------------------------------
Berens River arpt      28.8     28.5      1991    1905
Brandon arpt           36.9     36.7      1972    1890
Dauphin art            37.9     35.6      1972    1891
Fisher Branch          34.6     32.0      1991    1977
Melita                 36.1     30.1      1996    1993
Pilot Mound            35.5     35.0      1961    1938
Pinawa                 33.4     33.0      1991    1964
Portage la Prairie.    36.6     35.6      1972    1886

Southern Manitoba Continues Baking In The Heat

Temperatures have already risen into the mid to high 30's in Southern manitoba, the heat will continue this afternoon and evening until a cold front passes through the region later this evening cooling temperatures into the mid teens. Tips: During the heat Manitoba Health suggests Manitoba residents take precautions against heat-related illnesses whenever the humidex climbs above 37. Manitoba Health advises the following:

• Stay aware and be prepared
  • Know daytime and night-time temperatures-both outdoors and indoors- by checking your local weather forecasts and the thermostat in your home.
  • Stay up to date on weather alerts so you know when to take extra-care.
  • If you have an air-conditioner, make sure it’s working properly before the hot weather starts.
• Stay hydrated
  • Drink plenty of water (that’s the best liquid) before you feel thirsty.
  • Avoid alcoholic beverages, as they can increase the amount of water lost by the body.
• Stay cool and keep out of the sun
  • Plan outdoor activities for cooler parts of the day, but remember to wear insect repellant since mosquitoes are out too.
  • If you are outdoors during the hottest part of the day, shade yourself from the sun with an umbrella or a wide-brimmed hat with lots of ventilation (to allow the sweat on your head to evaporate), wear loose-fitting, breathable, light-coloured clothing, and remember to wear sunscreen to limit ultra-violet (UV) ray exposure.
  • If there is no air-conditioning at home- go to a cool place such as an air-conditioned mall, public library, or community centre.
  • Take a cool bath or shower or go for a swim to cool off.
  • Avoid using your oven or other appliances that could heat your home more.
  • Limit physical activities during the hotter parts of the day or exercise in an air-conditioned place.
• Take care of yourself and others
  • Check on family members, neighbours and friends - especially older adults and those with chronic conditions. Visiting is best because it is easier to identify signs of heat illness that could be missed over the phone.
  • Never leave people or pets in your care alone in closed vehicles or direct sunlight.

                          info from A Weather Moment

I will have a better post tomorrow recapping the heat wave and temperatures that were recorded.
            

Warmest March on Record ends on a mild and sunny note

Weather Data from the Month of March

Sunshine and Warm Temperatures marked a fitting end to March of 2012 as temperatures in Southern Manitoba again soared into the high teens on the weekend. According to Rob's Blog "In Winnipeg the high of 18.8C Saturday was just 0.1C off the record high of 18.9C for the 31st, set back in 1963." The warm finish made the monthly mean temperature pretty close to 2C or 2.2C, probably the warmest March on record since record keeping books started in the city in 1872. Overall the month was a astounding 8C above the normal, considering the 30 year normal is -6C. We were also 0.6C above the previous warmest month of March of +1.6C, set back in 1878. Now if only we can continue this trend into april so we can break more significantly old records.



A historical 12 day March scorcher through the mid part of the month was responsible for the record breaking month,which helped smash some of the all time March records throughout southern Manitoba and a Broad Scope of Central North America into Ontario. The March heat wave aided rapidly in melting our 25cm snow pack in portions of southern Manitoba, within just a few days. All between the 10th and the 14th, temperatures were more typical of early May in the time period from the 11th and the 23rd. The month also set 8 new daily record highs in Winnipeg,including all time warmest March temperature of 23.7C on the 19th.

Although all of this warm weather in March may not completely signal a start to a warm spring, as Rob mentioned "of the past 9 previous warmest Marches in Winnipeg, only 4 were followed by above normal temperatures in April, and ALL had below normal temperatures in May! Those springs had an average of 20 freeze days in April, and 9 in May with frosts well into mid to late May (even the first week of June some years!)". Also you may not want to put your snow shovels away yet,we can still see measurable snow in between the months of April to May. Rob said "Of those past 9 warm Marches, all were followed by some measurable snow in April (including a 25 cm snowstorm April 15-17, 1910), and 4 had snow in May". So don't let this warm start to Spring fool you! This is Winter Peg after all, and a warm start to the spring anywhere in the province is no guarantee that the cold weather is over!

                  
Below is a review of all the records that were broken last month Via (A Weather Moment blog)

• 8 daily record high temperatures (11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22)
• Earliest 20°C reading on record (March 18)
• Warmest overnight low in March (14°C on the night of March 18/19)
• Earliest thunderstorm on record since 1953 (Evening of March 19th)
• Warmest March day on record (March 19th, 23.7°C)
• Most significant departure from normal temperature for any day of the year (+23.4°C above normal on March 19th)
• 4 consecutive days over 19°C (Only 4 days since records began have reached that mark. From Rob’s Blog: In other words, it took only 4 days during this warm spell to match what took 140 years to accomplish.)
• Warmest March on Record (Mean temperature of 2.2°C, beating the previous record of 1.6°C set in 1878).
• Highest dew point in March (17°C on March 19th, need to finish parsing data set to verify)

            Top 5 warmest Marches in Winnipeg (since 1872) Via Rob's Blog
                1. 2012 .......... +2.2C
                2. 1878 .......... +1.6C 
                3. 1910 .......... +1.0C
                4. 1973 .......... +0.5C
                5. 2000 .......... -0.1C

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

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)