Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Snowy Wednesday morning commute.. then a mild slushy afternoon..

Weather map valid 6 am Wed morning shows area
of snow over RRV (blue) with freezing rain (red)
over southwest Manitoba (RGEM model)
A quick moving storm system over northern Alberta will be dropping southeast into southern Manitoba overnight, bringing a wintery mix of precipitation to the area. Snow will be spreading into the Parklands and northern Interlake regions after midnight reaching Winnipeg and the Red River valley by 5 am Wednesday morning. Snow will likely be heavy at times through the morning rush hour in Winnipeg with 5 to 10 cm possible between 6 am and noon. That will have a significant impact on the morning commute due to snow covered roads and poor visibility so plan on taking extra time getting to work or school Wednesday morning.  Further west, snow will likely mix with or change to freezing rain over southwest Manitoba where freezing rain warnings are in effect.

Meteogram for Winnipeg from ECMWF model shows
heavy burst of snow through Wed am rush hour
For Winnipeg, snow will taper off by noon before things will get a lot slushier in the afternoon as our winds shift into the west tapping milder air from Saskatchewan. This will send temperatures above freezing in the Red River valley including Winnipeg with afternoon highs near +2C expected. That will mean a lot of slush and melting snow on the roads into the evening rush hour, so make sure you have plenty of washer fluid if you're out driving Wednesday.    

4 comments:

  1. Hi Rob,

    still think will be mostly done by 12:30 PM?

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    1. Jeff..

      Sorry, didn't see your post until now. Snow was pretty much over in Winnipeg by 11 am. I recorded about 8 cm in total.. Nice and mild now with melting going on.

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  2. Rain showers noted between 1.30-2.00 PM over southern Winnipeg..

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  3. A nice melt this afternoon with temps up to +3C and even some light rainshowers at times. Feels like spring!

    But watch for a hard freeze tonight as northwest winds tap colder air from central Manitoba. Our temps in Winnipeg should be falling below freezing by 8-9 pm then -5C by midnight, and -12C by 9 am. That will mean any standing water will be freezing tonight and staying that way through Thursday with little temperature recovery during the day as temps stay around the -10C mark. So be prepared for slick conditions on untreated roads and walkways Thursday. Then it's back above freezing Friday as another clipper scoots by.. as a roller coaster pattern continues into Saturday.

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