Rob's Obs Signing Off

After 21 years of monitoring weather in Winnipeg, the time has finally come.. Rob's Obs is shutting down and heading to southern Ontario.  I will be taking down my Rob's Obs weather station as of today (July 12 2022) ending 21 years of backyard weather obs from Charleswood.  I will continue to keep my Rob's Obs weather site running as it contains many useful weather links to monitor weather in southern MB, but live weather data from the site will now come from the Gorilla weather station in Whyte Ridge. 

After moving to Winnipeg in 1998, I set up my Rob's Obs backyard weather station in 2001, a Davis station set up at my Charleswood home. At the time, there were only 3 personal weather stations online in Winnipeg, giving unofficial weather obs from private sites across the city (now there are dozens). A few years later in 2006, I started this blog giving more in depth weather information to an online community. In 2010, I started my Rob's Obs Twitter account that allowed me to reach more people with weather info. Today, online weather discussion is a commonplace thing, with plenty of social media accounts and sites dedicated to giving the public more in depth weather and climate information that you can get from the daily forecast.  

With that, I want to thank everyone out there who has been so supportive and appreciative for the weather information that I've shared over the past 2 decades.  The feedback I've received over the years has been wonderful and gratifying. I started this venture because of my personal interest and passion for weather, but your response and interest gave me the motivation and satisfaction of continuing to do it for this long. Thank you. 

On that note, it's time to say goodbye to Winnipeg. I thoroughly enjoyed my 24 years here, and will miss the city and its crazy weather. But I look forward to starting my next chapter of life back in my birthplace of Niagara, Ontario.. enjoying milder winters and friends and family back home. 

All the best Winnipeg! 

Historic early season snowstorm slams Winnipeg, much of southern Manitoba

Historic October snowstorm hammers Winnipeg and southern MB
CBC photo 

Historic. Crippling. Unprecedented. These are just a few words being used to describe an exceptionally severe early season snowstorm that hammered Winnipeg and much of southern Manitoba from Oct 10-12th 2019. The heavy snow and strong winds caused severe disruption over southern MB with many road closures, flight cancellations, downed trees and power outages. In Winnipeg, 34 cm of snow was recorded during the 2 day storm, making it the biggest October snowstorm in the city since records began in 1872 (previous record October snowstorm was 27.9 cm on Oct 30-31 1971). What made this storm particularly severe was that it occurred before Thanksgiving, while trees still had full leaf coverage. This caused extensive damage to trees and power lines especially in Winnipeg where over 30,000 trees were damaged.  At the storm's peak, over 150,000 people were without power in southern MB, the largest outage in MB Hydro history. 

HISTORIC EARLY SNOWSTORM FOR WINNIPEG

Although snow does occur on occasion before Thanksgiving in Winnipeg, snowfalls are usually less than 5 cm. A snowstorm of this magnitude this early in the season has never occurred in the Winnipeg area before (although they have elsewhere in southern MB).  The heaviest snowfall in Winnipeg before Oct 15th was 18.3 cm on Sep 25 1872 (unsure of accuracy), and more recently 13.8 cm on Oct 7-8 1985 and 10 cm on Oct 9 2009.  Early October snowstorms with heavy snowfall have occurred in southern MB, but mainly have impacted areas west of Winnipeg in the Westman region or to the southeast which have higher elevation. Such examples occurred on Oct 5 2005 when up to 45 cm fell in the Pilot Mound area, and on Oct 6-8 1959 when almost 50 cm fell in Brandon followed by another 35 cm snowfall 2 days later.  More recently, a snowstorm on Oct 4 2012 brought 10-30 cm of snow over the southeast corner of Manitoba.  Note that prior to this storm, the earliest that Winnipeg has had a snowstorm with 30 cm or more of snow was the Nov 7-8 1986 blizzard when 35.8 cm of snow fell.

For a more detailed meteorological analysis of this storm, see this University of Wisconsin link which includes stunning satellite imagery of the event as well as lightning data  (yes, there was lightning associated with this storm along with thundersnow!)   

MANITOBA ESCARPMENT AREA HARDEST HIT 

Snowy scene from Holland MB where
over 60 cm of snow fell
(photo from @Prairiechasers)

The heaviest snowfall with this storm system occurred over the western Red River valley along the Manitoba escarpment where 50 to 75 cm of snow was reported in the Morden-Winkler, Manitou, Treherne, Holland, Macgregor into Carberry areas. These areas also had the strongest winds which caused severe drifting and extensive damage to thousands of hydro poles and even some transmission towers. In Winnipeg, general snowfall totals ranged from 15 cm in the east end to 35 cm in the west, with Brandon and Dauphin both recording 30 cm. Little or no snow fell towards Swan River and north while mostly rain was recorded east of Steinbach.

Some of the highest snowfall reports included:

Carberry... 74 cm
Morden.... 64 cm
Holland.... 64 cm
between Darlingford and Miami... 61 cm
Treherne.... 60 cm
Baldur... 58 cm
Portage La Prairie... 56 cm
Waldersee.... 55 cm (southeast of McCreary)
Rathwell/Notre Dame des Lourdes... 52 cm
Schazenfeld (near Winkler)... 51 cm
Miami.... 50 cm

OCT 10 - 12 SNOWFALL TOTALS 

A report of 90 cm of total snowfall was reported at a CoCoRaHS site south of Morden near the North Dakota border.   Another CoCoRaHS site at Somerset reported a total of 87 mm of melted precipitation over the storm. Using a 7.5-8:1 snow:liquid ratio for the area would result in an estimated snowfall of 65-70 cm.   (Check out this video clip near Boissevain MB showing how bad conditions were in SW Manitoba during the height of the storm on Friday Oct 11.)

Winnipeg 9 am Thursday saw a marked
difference across the city with
heavy snow west and rain east

At my location in Charleswood in the west end of Winnipeg, snow began falling early Thursday morning (Oct 10th) as a cold drizzle overnight changed to wet snow by 6 am. The snow intensified during the morning commute with about 5-8 cm falling by 11 am. Amazingly the precipitation was still falling as rain in the eastern suburbs of Winnipeg with little or no snow accumulating in those areas much of the day as the rain/snow line split the city. By 5 pm Thursday, 13 cm of snow had fallen at my location with snow continuing through the evening. Snow became lighter overnight with an additional 8 cm by 8 am Friday (Oct 11), for a storm total of 21 cm by that point. Friday morning saw a brief break in the snow before redeveloping by late morning mixed at times with ice pellets as the main Colorado low system moved into northern Minnesota. The powerful storm system also brought strong winds to Winnipeg and the RRV Friday with north winds gusting to 80 km/h in Winnipeg, and up to 100 km/h over the MB lakes and western RRV. Snow persisted Friday afternoon with another 8 cm by 5 pm (29 cm storm total).  Snow continued Friday night before finally tapering off in Winnipeg overnight as the main area of snow pushed north and west. By 8 am Saturday (Oct 12), another 5 cm of snow had fallen at my location, for a storm total of 34.0 cm. Total melted water equivalent of the snowfall was around 55 mm, making for a very heavy wet snow (about a 6:1 snow:liquid ratio)

Oct 10 - 12 2019 METAR observations from YWG airport 

Time lapse video of storm in Winnipeg from webcam in Riverview, just south of downtown

Thu Oct 10                        Fri Oct 11 

MAJOR IMPACTS ON POWER GRID

Transmission tower damage near Portage La Prairie (left) with
map showing extent of power outages Friday (right) 

The combination of heavy wet snow and strong winds was too much for power lines and trees, causing considerable damage across southern MB. Power outages were widespread as tree branches came in contact with power lines causing power flashes and tripping power lines. An exceptionally wet September in southern MB had allowed trees to maintain greater foliage coverage into the second week of October, maximizing the potential for tree damage. Further west, the snow and wind caused many hydro poles to fall, with even some main transmission towers damaged outside Portage La Prairie.  Thousands were left without power, including much of the city of Portage La Prairie.  The province of Manitoba declared a state of emergency allowing for additional resources to help MB Hydro restore power to the worst affected areas. 

Tree damage in Winnipeg.
Twitter photo from Andrew Rampton

The following is a storm summary statement from Environment Canada:
  

A POWERFUL COLORADO LOW APPROACHED MANITOBA BEGINNING ON THURSDAY,   
OCTOBER 10TH AND BROUGHT WITH IT SUBSTANTIAL RAIN, HEAVY SNOW,   
STRONG WINDS, AND BLOWING SNOW TO THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE PROVINCE.   
ALL REPORTS BELOW ARE CURRENT AS OF 1 PM CDT ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER   
12TH.   
  
HEAVY SNOW CONTINUES OVER THE WESTERN PARKLANDS AND NORTHERN   
INTERLAKE SATURDAY AFTERNOON, BUT HAS TAPERED OFF TO FLURRIES   
ELSEWHERE OVER THE SOUTH. THE FOLLOWING SNOWFALL ACCUMULATION   
REPORTS WERE RECEIVED BY ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE CANADA   
STATIONS AND THE COOLTAP VOLUNTEER OBSERVING NETWORK:   
  
HOLLAND: 58 CM   
WASAGAMING: 33 CM   
BRANDON: 29 CM   
  
SNOWFALL ACCUMULATION REPORTS RECEIVED BY ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE   
CHANGE CANADA VIA SOCIAL MEDIA:   
  
CARBERRY: 74 CM   
MORDEN: 64 CM   
STRATHCLAIR: 61 CM   
TREHERNE: 60 CM   
MIAMI: 50 CM   
MCREARY: 45 CM   
DUNREA: 40 CM   
WINNIPEG: 34 CM   
DOUGLAS: 31 CM   
DAUPHIN: 30 CM   
ROSSER: 30 CM   
  
STRONG WINDS WERE WIDESPREAD ACROSS SOUTHERN MANITOBA, WITH MOST   
STATIONS REPORTING GUSTS IN THE 70 TO 85 KM/H RANGE ON FRIDAY OR   
FRIDAY NIGHT. THE FOLLOWING PEAK WIND GUSTS WERE RECEIVED BY   
ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE CANADA STATIONS:   
  
OAKPOINT: 100 KM/H   
PORTAGE SOUTHPORT: 94 KM/H   
WINNIPEG AIRPORT: 80 KM/H   
  
THE FOLLOWING PEAK WIND GUSTS WERE RECEIVED BY ENVIRONMENT AND   
CLIMATE CHANGE CANADA VIA MANITOBA AGRICULTURE REPORTING SITES:   
  
EDEN: 101 KM/H   
CLEARWATER: 92 KM/H   
SINCLAIR: 89 KM/H   
WASKADA: 89 KM/H   
BALDUR: 87 KM/H   
SNOWFLAKE: 87 KM/H   
WINDYGATES: 87 KM/H   
LAKELAND: 85 KM/H   
ST. ROSE: 85 KM/H   
  
IN THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF THE PROVINCE, PRECIPITATION FELL CHIEFLY   
AS RAIN, TAPERING OFF FRIDAY AFTERNOON. THE FOLLOWING ARE 48-HOUR   
TOTALS IN THIS AREA UP TO 9 AM CDT, OCTOBER 12, RECEIVED BY   
ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE CANADA VIA MANITOBA AGRICULTURE   
REPORTING SITES:   
  
LAC DU BONNET: 51 MM   
FLANDERS LAKE: 48 MM   
GREAT FALLS: 47 MM   
SPRAGUE LAKE: 46 MM   
FALCON LAKE: 42 MM   
ELMA: 39 MM   
GARDENTON: 38 MM   
MARCHAND: 38 MM   
SPRAGUE: 38 MM   
GREEN LAKE: 36 MM   
VIVIAN: 36 MM   
HADASHVILLE: 35 MM   
PRAWDA: 35 MM   
WOODRIDGE: 35 MM   

NOTE: Although I'm no longer updating this blog, this powerful storm system that impacted Winnipeg and much of southern MB was too significant and noteworthy not to highlight. It's important to chronicle and archive these extreme weather events so we have a record of what happened for future reference and to put them into historical perspective.

Blog no longer being updated

Please note that I am no longer updating this blog.

For weather updates and details, please follow me on Twitter at @robsobs. Thanks! 

City swamped with heavy rainfall - up to 75 mm reported in River Heights

A slow moving band of showers and embedded thunderstorms moved across the city of Winnipeg late Wednesday afternoon, resulting in a deluge of rain over much of the city. The heaviest rain moved in from the southwest around 4 pm, and proceeded to slowly track across the downtown core over the next 2-3 hours. By the time the rain tapered off in the early evening, amounts of 25 to 75 mm were reported across the city, the heaviest in the Tuxedo-River Heights area.  The heavy rain caused flash flooding of Winnipeg streets, with Pembina Highway temporarily closed due to flooding under the Jubilee overpass. By contrast, very little rain fell over southeast sections of the city with 5 mm or less over south St Vital into the Sage Creek area.

Rainfall map for city of Winnipeg based on unofficial Weather Underground
reporting sites up to 7:15 pm May 30 2018. Values in inches, contours in mm 

Official rainfall amounts for the event included:

Winnipeg Forks:  46.1 mm
Winnipeg airport: 26.3 mm 

Unofficial amounts included:

River Heights: 74 mm
Tuxedo: 69 mm
U of Winnipeg: 52 mm
Linden Woods: 25-40 mm
Charleswood: 28 mm (my site)
Whyte Ridge: 27 mm

The rainfall has made up for a very dry start to spring with virtually no rain through April into the first half of May.  As of today, May precipitation now sits at 54 mm for Winnipeg airport and 70 mm at the Forks. Average monthly precipitation in Winnipeg for May is around 60 mm.

Rainfall map from Weatherlogics using over 300 rainfall reports

Very dry weather continues.. Winnipeg closing in on top 5 dry spells of all time

The dry weather of the past 2 months continues into May, with no measurable precipitation recorded so far in the month. In fact, as of May 9th, Winnipeg has gone 27 consecutive days without any measurable precipitation. The last day with measurable precipitation in Winnipeg was on April 12th when 1.2 mm of melted snow was recorded at the airport. (measurable precipitation is defined as a day with 0.2 mm or more of melted precipitation (rain or snow)  With no significant precipitation expected through May 15th, this current dry spell may enter the record books as one of the top 5 longest dry spells in Winnipeg since records began in 1872. The chart above shows the top 5 longest dry spells in the city, the longest being 47 days without measurable precipitation in the fall of 1976. The longest dry spell in the spring (which is a more serious time for dry weather) was in 1980 when Winnipeg went 40 straight days without measurable precipitation.  How long this current dry spell will last is difficult to say at this point.. but increasingly it looks like it may become historic before it's finally over. The dry weather has caused major headaches for city firefighters who have had to battle numerous grass fires in the past few days in and around the city.     

UPDATE:  Well, the dry spell ended at YWG airport but there's a bit of a controversy over exactly when the streak ended.  Officially, the first measurable precip at YWG airport in May was on May 17th when 0.8 mm of rain fell. That would have put the dry spell at 34 days, tied with 1882 as the 4th longest dry spell on record.   However, it appears the official precipitation gauge at the airport (XWG CS station) was possibly under-reporting rainfall from the 15th through the 19th. A co-located rain gauge at XWG picked up 0.2 mm of rain on the 15th, as did many private stations in Winnipeg with some light rainshowers that day. If that's the case, the dry spell would have ended on the 15th for a streak of 32 days, which would be the 6th longest dry spell on record. Which is correct? I'm going with the latter (32 day streak) with 0.2 mm of rain on the 15th, not much, but just enough to break the precip-free streak.