Monday, December 05, 2016

Major winter blast heading for Winnipeg/RRV

HRRR forecast for 6 am Tuesday morning shows
strong winter storm affecting RRV/SE Manitoba 
The first major winter storm of the season is on its way into southern Manitoba as a low pressure system over eastern North Dakota slowly tracks towards the Canadian border. Heavy snow from this system is already affecting northeast North Dakota this evening, and will continue to spread north into southern Manitoba through tonight. Snow is expected to reach the Winnipeg area by 3-4 am overnight and become heavy by the Tuesday morning rush hour. In addition winds will be increasing from the north gusting to 60-70 km/h which will produce poor visibilities in blowing and drifting snow. Give yourself plenty of time to get to school or work tomorrow as road and traffic conditions will be poor. 

Snow will continue through Tuesday into Tuesday night, moderate to heavy times, with 15-20 cm possible by Tuesday evening. The evening commute will be slow and treacherous with double to triple commuting times. Winds will continue strong out of the north with gusts to 60 km/h in Winnipeg, with even higher gusts of 70-80 km/h possible over the western and southern Red River valley. These areas will be most susceptible to blizzard conditions given the strong winds and wide open terrain. Don't be surprised to see road closures on Highway 75 south of  Winnipeg, Highway 1 west of Winnipeg, and highways 2 and 3 southwest of the city. Snow is expected to continue Tuesday night with another 5 cm possible before the storm starts winding down on Wednesday, although blowing and drifting snow may continue to be a problem. All in all, a significant winter storm to usher in much colder weather for the end of the week. After being AWOL in November, winter is making a forceful return in December! Get ready!        

4 comments:

  1. Any updates on how much fell

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    1. Very difficult to get an accurate snowfall reading today due to the strong winds. Lots of blowing and drifting snow today inflated actual amounts.. so it certainly seemed a lot more than what may have fallen. In my yard, I took several measurements, and averaged about 17 cm up to 5 pm.. but drifts were much deeper. I had one drift up to 50 cm near my garage. I've had another 3 or so cm this evening, so I'm probably up to 20 cm by now (as of 11 pm) Other reports in the city came in at 20-25 cm. So that looks like a general average for the city so far.. but again, drifting was a major issue today.

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    2. Picked up another 7 cm overnight and today, and another quick cm this evening so I'm up to 28 cm storm total. General amounts of 25-35 cm across the city yesterday and today, but again, severe drifting gave highly variable amounts depending on exposure.

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  2. Yikes.. looking at some of the charts for next week.. major cold push coming in over us for mid week (around 13-15th) Temps well into the -30s. We get colder by the end of this week, with highs of -15 to -20, and lows in the minus 20s.. but looks like an even colder shot coming in mid Dec. Hopefully it doesn't last long..

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