Sunday, December 25, 2011

A rare brown Christmas for southern RRV, southwest MB, North Dakota..

It was a rare brown Christmas for portions of southern MB and much of North Dakota this year as the spell of unseasonably mild and dry weather that has persisted much of December continued through the Christmas holiday weekend. Much of the southern and western Red River valley (incl Emerson (above left), Morden and Carman) , southwest MB (Pilot Mound to Melita) and much of North Dakota (Grand Forks, right) were snowfree Christmas morning.. the first time this has happened since at least 1997. In Winnipeg, there was a little more snow around with about 2 cm on the ground Christmas day (an official "white" Christmas here) although most large open fields in and around the city had little or no snow cover (see webcam shots from south Winnipeg and Sanford). This is the lowest Christmas day snowdepth in Winnipeg since 1997 when a trace was officially observed at Winnipeg airport during a strong El Nino winter.

Satellite photos (left) show the minimal snow cover extent across southern MB and North Dakota, with little snow evident over the southern and western Red River valley and North Dakota and Minnesota.. which normally would be covered in white by this time of year. Click here for an explanation on this winter's slow start. Whether it was brown, white or green.. here's hoping everyone had a happy and healthy Christmas! All the best in 2012!

45 comments:

  1. Thanks Rob!!
    Hope you had a good Christmas also.

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  2. Portage La Prairie is sitting a 4 C this morning. Warmer than Las Vegas. Unreal!

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  3. They broke their record high for the day.....OVERNIGHT at 6 C!

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  4. Any idea how much snow fell the last 2 days?

    thanks

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  5. Looks like snow this weekend!! Hopefully it stays below zero and all the precipitation is snow.

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  6. Hey Rob

    I know they are calling for a rain snow mixture for Dec 31. Is it going to come as a lot of moisture or mostly misting in flurries? How much rain or how much snow?

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  7. I travelling on the 30th and the 31st. Hopefully not any freezing rain!!

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  8. Finally got an inch in Grand Forks.... a bit more to come later today and this evening.

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  9. Finally DAN GF!
    Welcome to "winter"

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  10. Ya know this upcoming year might be the last year that we can blog about the weather.....I hear the world might end next December right guys....right???? Anyone still out there....HA HA :-)

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  11. I don't know if I would sell the house and put everything on red 23 based on the end of the world. LOL

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  12. Happy camper this morning....fresh 3.5 inches at the house....

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  13. A late Christmas treat Dan Gf???

    Finally looks like Winter out there!!!

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  14. What a change in the forecast for Winnipeg. Yesterday it was sun with no snow, early this morning it was snow overnight clearing by morning now its snow overnight clearing by noon. I guess by the 4pm update we'll be told of a blizzard. lol

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  15. What confidence level is there in a reasonably clear and light wind day Monday
    Saturday and Sunday look nasty...I need an 8 hour driving window to Brandon return

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  16. Wow the forecasts for the end of the year have been erratic. Huge swings every 6 hours. I'm thinking maybe the junior forecasters got the Christmas shift. Rob where are you? LOL

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  17. Took EC only an hour this morning to change the forecast once again. Judging by the radar I think the precipatation will stop far sooner than their new prediction.

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  18. Good Call Daryl warning ended 816.
    Did you mean computers were the de facto 11/12 wknd junior forecasters?

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  19. Daryl, it must be junior computers.
    How do I know?
    Yesterday , on a Hiway forecast map, a network which will remain anonymous, predicted all western Manitoba roads would be clear and bare 1 hour after a rain /Sleet/Snow storm had passed. Perhaps they/it assumed the 50-80 KMH winds would clean and dry them.

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  20. Your probably right but I think we should expect better from EC than what we got this week. This is the most heavily traveled week of the year as well as many industries rely on forecasts at this time of the year to forecast man power etc ex: Hiways, public works, hydro and snow clearing companies. Oh well I know EC employees want time off but weather forecasting in this day and age is more an essential service than just a luxury.

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  21. Incidently the model data that seemed to be the most correct was the ECMWF. Models pretty well showed the system just brushing Winnipeg and going around it which is what pretty much happened.

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  22. That hiway forecast was not ECs . Can you see all at minimum staff.
    BTW Rob Great on the Kindle Fire

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  23. hey guys, I just wanted to wish you all a happy new years, I have run into some difficulties creating a year in review of weather for 2011 so I now am thinking of creating a weather website for southern Manitoba on blogger. It will take a while, but when I have it up I will give you guys the link so you too can stay up to date on the weather. Rob I hope this doesn't create any tension between me and you.....

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  24. I got my website up and running I should have posts shortly.

    Here is a link:
    http://mikesforecastblog.blogspot.com/

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  25. Working this last night of 2011....wishing all a healthy and happy 2012.

    For once, the Grand Forks area got a lollipop in the snowfall...4.4 inches total from the last evening and another 1 inch this morning (Saturday).... snow depth stands between 6 and 7 inches....

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  26. Happy New Year!

    @Mike lol

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  27. Happy New Year everyone! Just finishing up Christmas break.. will start blog updates soon!

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  28. Happy new year to you to Rob!!

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  29. Happy New Year Everyone! 2012!

    I'd like you all to know that I now have a blogger account so my name may be highlighted the odd time. I also have a blog of my own about weather in the province as well as some other interesting news not related to weather. Be sure to check my blog oout anytime by following this link......

    http://mikesforecastblog.blogspot.com/

    by the way, keep up the great work Rob!

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  30. Kind of interesting radar return right now. Almost looks like lake effect snow but pretty sure the lakes are frozen over.

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  31. Daryl the lakes are frozen over, to me looks like wrap-around from the low.

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  32. I'm sure they are but just kinda looked interesting the way the entire system was moving in straght lines similarly like streamers from the lake.

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  33. Any clue on how those streamers are forming?

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  34. 6 C on Thursday???? Is that a typo??? ....LOL

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  35. Thats is insane for this time of year! I better check the 850mb Temps and call EC if that model differs from there opinion. thanks for the heads up Daniel.

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  36. 6 C on thursday would be getting close to the all time warmest temp ever in January. Later I'm sure Rob can give us some more info :-)

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  37. 8 c for a forecast high on Thursday for Portage. WOW. Beach weather!!

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  38. Those wind gusts early this morning levitated some very heavy equipment on my 2nd floor riverside balcony this morning. (SSE) I'm a convert to those wind speed measurements from Winni26

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  39. +4.2C in Boissevain at 930!

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  40. Regarding Thursday's 850MB temp over Winnipeg, the latest GEM run has it peaking at 7.8 C for 9am Thursday, dropping to 0.5 C by 6pm. 850 MB winds are 70-90 km/h for Thursday afternoon.

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  41. Greetings fellow bloggers! I'm back from holidays, after enjoying a nice week of 29C weather in Jamaica.

    Nice to come back to balmy conditions by Manitoba standards.. not quite tropical.. but a nice transition to prairie weather again.

    I hope to have some new posts shortly..

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  42. A trip to Jamaica!!!!
    Not envious at all. NOPE....not in the slightest :-)

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  43. Yes, it was a nice getaway. We were in Montego Bay with highs of 28-29C each day, lows of 24C.. dewpoints around 22c. Nice balmy breezes off the 27C Caribbean waters. Shorts and t-shirts the whole time. Sct CU/TCU each day mainly over the island, although we saw a beautiful rainbow over the water one day as a rainshower passed over the ocean. Definitely a nice way to start off 2012!

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