Strong winds sweep across southern MB

A low pressure system and associated cold front swept across southern Manitoba on Saturday. Strong northwesterly winds were reported as the front passed through. The strong winds forced the closure of some streets in downtown Winnipeg due to blown out windows and wind blown construction material from downtown highrises.

The following are some of the strongest wind reports today.

Winnipeg..............Northwest 80 gusting 100 km/h at 16:00 CST.
Shoal Lake............Northwest 69 gusting 85 km/h at 13:00 CST.
Oakpoint..............Northwest 69 gusting 81 km/h at 14:00 CST.
Brandon...............Northwest 65 gusting 80 km/h at 12:00 CST.
Portage la Prairie....Northwest 65 gusting to 83 km/h at 15:00 CST.
Melita................Northwest 63 gusting 81 km/h at 13:00 CST.
Dauphin...............Northwest 61 gusting 81 km/h at 13:00 CST.
Carberry..............Northwest 61 gusting 80 km/h at 11:00 CST.
Pilot Mound...........Northwest west 61 km/h at 15:00 CST.
Victoria Beach........Northwest 61 km/h at 16:00 CST.
Gretna................Northwest 59 gusting 70 km/h at 16:00 CST.
Gimli.................Northwest 57 gusting 72 km/h at 14:00 CST.
Wilson creek..........Northwest 56 gusting 87 km/h at 14:00 CST.
Deerwood..............West 56 gusting 76 km/h at 11:00 CST.
Roblin................Northwest 56 gusting 76 km/h at 12:00 CST.
Emerson...............West 54 gusting 63 km/h at 12:00 CST

January to end on windy mild note..

It's been a cold month.. with January averaging almost 3 degrees below normal. But the month will end on a mild note Saturday as a low pressure system tracking through the Interlake region draws mild air into southern MB. This system will push a warm front across southern MB later today into this evening bringing some light snow and even a risk of some brief freezing rain by midnight. Temperatures will begin to climb tonight as the warm air pushes in, reaching the freezing mark by morning in the Red River valley. On Saturday, mild conditions will prevail through midday with temperatures possibly reaching +1 or +2C under partly cloudy skies, before strong northwest winds of 50 to 70 km/h develop by afernoon, bringing cooler air into the area by the end of the day.

Temperatures rising this week.. but so are the winds

After several days in the minus 20s, temperatures will be moderating this week into the minus teens for Tuesday, and the minus single digits by Friday. Unfortunately the milder weather will be accompanied by strong southerly winds at times which will make the warmup less noticeable. This will be especially true Tuesday as brisk southwest winds of 30 km/h in the morning increase to southerly winds of 40 to 60 km/h by evening in the Red River valley, making those -14C high temperatures feel more like -25 to -30. We cool off a bit for mid week (but with lighter winds) then a storm system crossing through the northern Prairies on Friday will bring a westerly flow of milder air into southern MB, with temperatures likely climbing into the minus single digits for the last day of January. Other than some light snow Wednesday (2 cm or less), little or no snow is expected through the upcoming week.

Mild week ahead... then colder by Friday

The above normal temperatures that moved into southern MB over the weekend will continue today through much of the upcoming week with daily highs around minus 3 or so in Winnipeg.. some 10 degrees above normal. We may even get up to the freezing mark on Tuesday or Wednesday. Enjoy it while it lasts though.. because on Thursday, a clipper system will cross southern MB bringing some snow and a return to cold Arctic air Thursday night into Friday. Temperatures by Friday will return to below normal values, with highs around -17C and lows in the minus 20s. Below normal temperatures are expected to continue through the weekend into next week as a large Yukon high pushes cold air southward over the Prairies.      

Major warmup this weekend

The eagerly anticipated warmup has started to move into Alberta and SW Saskatchewan today with afternoon temperatures of +7C in Calgary, +3C in Edmonton, and -5C in Swift Current. The mild Pacific airmass will continue to spread across Saskatchewan on Friday with highs forecast to reach the freezing mark in Saskatoon and Regina.. a remarkable turnaround from Regina’s -40C reading earlier this morning. For southern MB, we can expect one more cold night tonight with lows around -30 (colder to the southeast), and windchills near -40.. then Friday will be a transition day as brisk southerly winds start to flush out the cold Arctic air. Temperatures will still be cold Friday, especially over the Red River valley and SE MB, gradually moderating into the minus teens by evening. Friday night, a weak system will drop through from northern MB giving us some light snow with steady or rising temperatures. On Saturday, a developing westerly flow will finally start to bring in some of that mild Pacific air into southern MB, with highs climbing into the minus single digits. Even milder conditions are expected Sunday through Tuesday with daily highs around the freezing mark. So make sure you’re stocked up on washer fluid.. a nice thaw is on the way, at least for a few a days. Colder conditions are likely by the middle to end of next week.

Wicked Wednesday windchills!

Another Arctic ridge of high pressure is building into the Prairies, bringing a fresh outbreak of bitterly cold air over southern MB today. The problem today will be northwest winds of 20-30 km/h combining with -30 to -35 temperatures this morning to produce dangerous windchills of -45 to -50. At these values, exposed skin will freeze within 5 minutes. Note that many school buses and rural schools are cancelled when the windchill is -45 or lower, so that will be the case for many school kids across southern MB this morning. Windchill values will moderate to minus 40 or so this afternoon as temperatures rise to the minus 25 to minus 30 range. Another cold night is on tap tonight with lows back in the mid minus 30s (and windchills in the minus 40s), and then the long anticipated warming trend will begin this weekend, with temperatures projected to go above freezing by Sunday. So hang in there.. relief is on the way!

Record cold morning over southern MB

An Arctic ridge of high pressure brought clear skies and light winds over southern MB last night producing some very cold temperatures early this morning. Morning lows were in the minus 35 to minus 40C range in most localities, with Sprague in extreme SE Manitoba registering an exceptional -43.8C! Other spots hitting -40C this morning included Bird's Hill (-40.5C), Piney (-42.5C) and Indian Bay (near Falcon Lake) at -41.0C.

Officially, at least 6 record lows were set this morning over southern MB including:

(old record in brackets)

Sprague.. -43.8C (-41.1 1979)
Pinawa... -39.4C (-38.3 1979)
Gimli.... -39.3C (-37.2 1972)
Gretna... -37.8C (-34.8 1999)
Fischer Branch.. -38.3 (-37.0 1988)
Pilot Mound.. -35.3C (-34.3 1972)

Winnipeg Airport got down to -37.6C, shy of the record low of -40.0C on this date in 1881.

Another cold night is expected tonight, however winds will be more of an issue overnight through Wednesday as another Arctic ridge pushes in from the north. North winds of 20-30 km/h will produce wind chills in the -40 to -45C range across southern MB Wednesday.

Cold week ahead.. relief by weekend

Brisk northerly winds have ushered in another Arctic airmass over southern MB this morning with temperatures remaining in the minus 20s today and windchills in the -35 range. Clear and cold conditions are expected tonight as the Arctic ridge passes over us, with temperatures dropping into the mid minus 30s. On Tuesday, a system from northern AB will drop through Saskatchewan, spreading cloud and some snow over southern MB Tuesday afternoon and evening. Behind this system will be another reinforcing shot of Arctic air for Wednesday and Thursday. Finally though, it looks like we'll be getting some relief from the frigid weather by the weekend as a large push of mild Pacific air spreads east across the Prairies by late week. The milder air will be slowest to arrive in MB, taking a couple of days to flush out the lingering Arctic air on Friday and Saturday. But models continue to indicate that by Sunday, temperatures in southern MB will finally be rising to well above normal values, with above freezing temperatures quite possible Sunday and Monday. So hang in there.. some relief is on the way!

A nice weekend.. then another Arctic outbreak next week

It looks like we’ll be enjoying some relatively comfortable temperatures this weekend with highs around minus 15C both Saturday and Sunday (some models saying we might even get up to the minus 10C mark on Sunday) with partly sunny skies and a chance of flurries Saturday night into Sunday. Winds will also be light Saturday afternoon into Sunday so those temperatures will feel even more pleasant, especially after this week’s minus 20C temperatures. By Sunday night however, an Arctic cold front will be dropping through southern MB, ushering in another Arctic outbreak for the new week. This cold airmass will be ushered in by a large Arctic high over the Yukon plunging southward over the Prairies Monday. This Arctic high has been bringing minus 50C temperatures to parts of the Yukon, so there’s plenty of cold air to our north to make its way southward. Although we won’t be seeing temperatures that cold here in southern MB, look for temperatures to get back into the minus 20s and minus 30s again next week, with the potential for some minus 40 temperatures Tuesday morning in some parts of southern MB. So get out and enjoy the weekend.. another Arctic blast is on the way.

For those of you getting tired of this cold weather, long range models are hinting at a possible warmup over southern MB by next weekend into the third week of January. It still a long ways out, but at this point, we’ll take any hints of milder weather we can!

Get ready for a COLD start to the work week

Monday will be back to work and school for many people who have enjoyed holiday time over the past two weeks. And the weather won't make it any easier to get back into the routine Monday morning as a very cold Arctic airmass moves in over southern MB tonight. Temperatures are expected to drop into the mid minus 30s tonight, with windchill vales of minus 40 to minus 45. Thankfully, winds will be dropping off tonight, with light winds expected Monday. But with clear skies, this will allow temperatures to drop to some of the coldest readings so far this season. In fact, last night the same ridge brought -40C temperatures to western SK including Saskatoon. Temperatures aren't expected to get quite as cold over southern MB tonight since the coldest core will be moving off overnight, however it will certainly be a cold start Monday morning regardless. Bundle up!

New system threatens more snow for Friday night/Saturday

Another storm system moving into the northern Plains will bring another round of snow to southern MB Friday night into Saturday. Current indications are that 5-10 cm of snow are likely though much of the Red River valley including Winnipeg with this system, with 10-15 cm possible over southeast MB including Steinbach and Sprague/Falcon Lake areas. Models are showing that the heaviest snow with this storm system will fall over eastern ND and northern MN where 15-25 cm is possible. This comes on top of a record snowy December in those areas.. so the snow is starting to pile up in the Red River valley!