Tuesday 5 February 2013

Another Bout of Snowfall Wednesday

     Based on Rob's and A Weather Moment Blogs, Cocorahs and my own measurement, a general 4-6 cm of snowfall fell over Winnipeg with yesterday's clipper:


     A general 2-8 cm fell across southern Manitoba.

     Another clipper is expected to move in tomorrow. This one will be earlier in the day than yesterday's with snowfall beginning in Winnipeg early in the morning, and in southwestern Manitoba overnight. In addition, it looks like the heaviest snowfall will fall further south than yesterday, with heaviest amounts generally south of the Trans Canada (6-9 cm). For Winnipeg specifically, models put us on the leading edge of the heaviest snow, therefore it's still not 100% certain how much we'll get. Personally, I'm going with something a little less than yesterday; about 2-4 cm for the city, but keep in mind that we may get a little more if the heaviest band sets up further north, or less if the heaviest band sets up further south. For Brandon, I'd expect 5-8 cm. Here's what the GEM Regional model is expecting in terms of snowfall tomorrow (you can really see what I mean by Winnipeg being on the leading edge of the heavier stuff):


     Snow will begin to let up in Winnipeg by late afternoon or early evening.

     As opposed to yesterday afternoon, winds will be less of an issue tomorrow for Winnipeg. Blowing snow will therefore not be a major hazard, but there will likely still be some drifting snow out in open areas outside the city with the little wind there will be. Strongest winds (20 to 30 km/h) look to be in southwestern Manitoba tomorrow where drifting snow will be a bigger issue for areas south of Brandon. However, thankfully winds wont be strong enough for blowing snow.

     Warmer weather will make its appearance to end this week, into this weekend. More snowfall will be a possibility during the weekend, but it's a little too early to confirm this so stay tuned. There may be a brief cool down to start next week, but any cool down will be brief with general above normal temperatures for most of next week. As what we would come to expect, models are getting confident that a more significant cool down will take place in a week and a half or so.

9 comments:

  1. Getting some random flurries moving down from the Interlake this evening so we'll see a few flurries this evening in the Winnipeg area. Not much accumulation expected, just a dusting.

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  2. Looks like the more southern track of the heavy snow will be favoured today after all. This will cause snowfall to begin later in Winnipeg. Instead of early morning, we'll have to wait until mid morning at the earliest. I'm only thinking 2 or 3 cm now for the city, with 5-10 cm in southwesthern Manitoba and along the International Border.

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  3. Area of snow definitely staying south of Winnipeg, along the International Border. We got about a cm mid morning in the city, and we'll probably not get a whole lot more. Just a few flurries here and there this afternoon. Looks like the forecast didn't quite work out for today.

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  4. Even the sun has come out now mid afternoon. Today wasn't a good day for forecasters when it comes to the Winnipeg forecast!

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  5. However, amounts near the International Border have been around the 10 cm mark today in some locales.

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  6. Some of the models have really shifted northwards with Sunday's Colorado Low. This would give us significant snowfall and blowing snow. This will definitely have to monitored closely over the next couple days.

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  7. The heat island scenario is quite evident today in Winnipeg. Highs were as high as -9°C, but generally between -9 and -13°C within city limits today, but it only got to -15°C at the airport. This is thanks to the fact that the snow-covered fields outside the airport reflect the sunshine while the darker city absorbs more warmth. This effect is exacerbated by the light winds which are preventing the colder air outside the city from cooling down the city too much. This heat island effect during the day is always very evident in February as the sun gets stronger.

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  8. The models yesterday that were giving us lots of snow Sunday have backed off on the idea today. Consensus right now is for a dusting to a couple cm for Winnipeg, while the bulk of the snow affects areas to our east and south. Southeastern Manitoba may get 2-5 cm or so with much highs amounts in Minnesota and northwestern Ontario. Things could still change so I'll keep updating through the weekend.

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  9. Consensus has grown that we will miss out on tomorrow Colorado Low here in Winnipeg. But it will be a close call. Winnipeg likely wont get much, perhaps a few flurries at most. Southeastern Manitoba however, is where it's more uncertain. Steinbach and Emerson regions look to be just scraped with 2-5 cm, while closer to Sprague, in the extreme southeast corner of the province, as much as 10 cm could fall tomorrow. This would be associated with strong winds. This is only how it looks right now, and therefore it could still change. I will keep an eye out.

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