Cool Weather Continues, But a Bright Future is Ahead

Snow in Kenora yesterday

     A low of -5°C at Winnipeg Airport this morning was 'dangerously' close to a record. The old record was -7.8°C in 1899. The airport was an anomaly in the city however. Most parts of the city remained between -2°C and +2°C.
     Cool temperatures like these are expected again tonight. It has been a cold run here in Manitoba as we've been stuck in a prevailing trough. Some snowflakes were even seen in northwestern Ontario and areas north of Winnipeg over the last few days. The picture to the right is proof of the snowfall in Kenora yesterday. The full video of this snowfall can be seen here. Winnipeg did not officially see any snowflakes yesterday, but heavy amounts of pea sized hail did fall in central parts of the city when the front came through.
     A little tidbit: Winnipeg has not seen a single snowflake in September since 1995. We have not seen measurable snowfall (more than 0.2 cm) in September since 1984. If you think snowfall in September is something you'd only see in Manitoba, you are wrong! Calgary, for example, has had snowfall in September 12 times since 1995, including 11.8 cm in September 2003. In fact, the city averages 5 cm of snowfall in September.
     Things are expected to warmup here soon. Some warmer air from the west will move its way east briefly for Sunday and Monday bringing temperatures into the mid to high teens; certainly not shorts and sandles weather, but sunshine will be abundant.
     A reinforcing shot of cold weather is expected Tuesday and Wednesday then the ridge to our west begins to spread east. Above normal temperatures are expected late week into the weekend, with highs potentially reaching into the low twenties.

CPC in the US expecting above normal temperatures 8-14 days from now

Seesaw Forecast - Typical Fall Weather

     The next week will be quite typical for this time of year - ups and downs in temperatures. Things will significantly warmup Friday and Saturday after a cold Thursday. Friday will feature highs in the mid twenties in southwestern Manitoba and low twenties in southeastern Manitoba.

     Saturday will be the warmest day - and perhaps one of the last 'hot' days of the year. Temperatures are expected to approach 30 in all of southern Manitoba. Winds will also be strong Saturday however.

     Temperatures will take a dive Sunday and beyond as a trough moves in and settles for a while. Next week looks cold - well below normal for this time of year. Frost will likely be an issue mid/late week as overnight lows approach the freezing mark. Daytime highs will only be in the low teens on most days. However, it is still a little far to be too specific. What is for sure is there is no sign of warm weather after Saturday as of yet.

     No significant rainfall is in the forecast over the next week. This is becoming problematic considering we have been in a dry streak for a very long time. Here in Winnipeg, only about 3-4 mm of rain has fallen in the last 4 weeks. That is less than 10% of normal.

Brief Return to Summer

     It was a very chilly start to the day Sunday in southern Manitoba. Lows included:
+2°C in Winnipeg
0°C in Brandon, Emerson and Carman
-1°C in Steinbach
-2°C in Dugald

     It will warm up nicely this afternoon with highs in the mid twenties expected in southwestern Manitoba and low twenties elsewhere. Sunshine will dominate. Tonight will be much more comfortable than this morning with lows in the low teens.

     Tomorrow will be hot as a strong southerly flow of air pumps in 850 mb temperatures into the low twenties. With partly cloudy skies expected, 30°C will be possible (and even likely) along and south of the Trans Canada. It will be a dry heat, therefore humidity wont be an issue.

     Beyond tomorrow, things look seasonal with highs in the high teens and on some days low twenties in general for much of the week. No major rain expected in the near future.