Beautiful weekend on tap

Beautiful weather is on tap this weekend over southern Manitoba as high pressure brings plenty of sunshine along with light winds and temperatures in the upper teens to 20C. The light winds and strengthening April sunshine will make it feel even warmer, making it an ideal weekend to enjoy the outdoors. Have a great weekend!

Iceland volcano erupts... halts European air travel. Too early to assess long term weather impacts

From Dr Jeff Master's Wunderblog:

The Eyjafjallajökull volcano on Iceland erupted Wednesday, sending a towering cloud of volcanic ash 6 - 11 km (20,000 - 36,000') high in the air from its 1666 meter (5500') high peak. The ash cloud has caused a dramatic interruption of air traffic over much of northern Europe today, and this disruption will spread southwards and eastwards over the next day as the the ash cloud gradually spreads and disperses. (click here for the remainder of Dr Jeff Master's blog entry on this eruption as well as a followup)

It's still too early to speculate how this eruption may impact the global climate over the next few months and years. This initial eruption was too small to have a significant climate influence, especially for a high latitude eruption which tends to get washed out of the atmosphere more quickly than volcanic eruptions over tropical latitudes. However, if this volcanic eruption is sustained for weeks and months (like the Laki Iceland eruption of 1783-4), then it could have significant impacts on the global climate, especially over western Europe. Click here for more information on climatic impacts of volcanic eruptions.

More information available from the UK Met Office and ScienceBlogs . Be sure to check out the eyjafjallajokull webcam for live images of the eruption.

Update Apr 17: Some incredible new photos of the eruption, including this one showing lightning discharge from the ash cloud. Absolutely stunning. More amazing photos available at Stromboli online as well as from the UK Telegraph and Boston Globe.

Confusing weather?

Interesting satellite photo from today showing the large storm system over southern Saskatchewan which brought heavy snow to the southwestern Prairies while Winnipeg was treated to a sunny mild day in the low 20s. Even Mother Nature seems to be questioning the strange weather.. but hey, this is spring in the Prairies! (I captured a similar image last April)

Warm windy and wet weather moving in Tuesday

A storm system pushing into the US southwest is expected to intensify Monday night into Tuesday over eastern Montana bringing increasingly windy and unsettled weather over southern MB. The first wave of clouds from this system is pushing in tonight into Monday with scattered showers along the international border. The storm system will intensify Monday night into Tuesday as it moves into Montana, bringing an increasing southerly flow of warm moist air over the Dakotas into southern MB along a warm front. Showers and scattered thunderstorms are likely along this front Monday night into Tuesday with locally heavy rain possible especially over SW Manitoba where showers will be more persistent. Some thunderstorms may even produce hail over parts of southern MB overnight Monday into Tuesday morning. As the front pushes northward across southern MB Tuesday into Wednesday, gusty southeast winds will draw in warm air from the US plains, with temperatures possibly hitting the 20C mark for the first time this season across the RRV and SE Manitoba.

The week ahead

Dry mild weather is on tap over southern Manitoba for the week ahead with generally sunny skies and above normal temperatures. Increasing southerly winds are expected late in the week as a strong storm system pushes across northern Alberta by Friday. That system has the potential to bring heavy snow across northern Alberta before it weakens as it moves into northern Manitoba over the weekend. The next threat of precipitation over southern Manitoba will be early next week as low pressure develops over the western US and moves into the Dakotas.