Prairie Weather (Rural Roots Canada) – Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Snow fell in almost every corner of the prairie provinces over the past seven days. But in most areas, it’s safe to say, amounts were disappointing. Here are some totals, as recorded by the volunteer observers at CoCoRahs:
This image shows very little snow in the afternoon of Sunday, March 16 at Wainwright:
Warman, Saskatchewan wax expecting significant snow over the past week, but the image below indicates the actual snowfall fell short of those expectations:
The data above was collected prior to the Sunday snowfall that rolled across the southern part of the province. Nonetheless, it again shows lower than expected snow totals. The image below was captured at Minnedosa, as the snow fell Sunday March 16:
More periods of light snow can be expected from time to time as we go through this week. Like last week, accumulations are expected to be minimal.
Monday
The map below shows Environment Canada’s significant weather outlook for Monday, Mar 17. The area in grey across the southern praries is where 5-15 cm of snow is expected to fall by the end of the day. Otherwise, there will be no significant weather across the rest of the prairies on Monday, and not much is expected for the rest of the week, either.
Alberta
Light snow is expected to carry over from Sunday night into the early morning in southeastern Alberta, though accumulations will again be minor. The exception is the Suffield range north of Medicine Hat, where, as the above map shows, more than 5 cm may fall. By the afternoon, that snow will have moved on. Northern and north central Alberta will get a few flurries or periods of light snow in the afternoon, but with little accumulation. That snow will fall north of a Low that will form not far from Sundre. Areas to the south of the low can expect to stay dry, and even see some sunshine. In those sunnier areas, expect highs between 0 and 10. To the north, temperatures will peak between 0 and -5.
Saskatchewan
A somewhat organized area of light snow will cross southern Saskatchewan, due to a Low pressure system moving to the Dakotas from Montana. Southern Saskatchewan will be on the northern edge of the system. Morning snow will taper off to flurries in the afternoon. As the map above shows, 5-15 cm of snow are expected, but the higher end of that range will affect localized areas. Lower accumulations will be more widespread. To the north, expect a cloudy day. There will also be snow in central and northern Alberta, but in very light amounts. The snow in the north will continue into the evening. Across most of the province, highs will range from 0 to -10.
Manitoba
Light snow will fall across southern Manitoba throughout the day. The heaviest accumulations (5-10 cm) will happen along Highway 2 from southwest Winnipeg through Treherne to Wawanesa. Central and northern Manitoba won’t see significant snow, but will be cloudy through most of the day. Highs across most of Manitoba will range from -5 to -10.
Tuesday
Alberta
Other than a few early morning flurries across central Alberta, the province will remain dry through the day Tuesday. Most of the north will be clear, and once the early morning snow leaves the province, the sky in central and southern regions will begin to clear in the midday. It’s not going to be a super-warm day, with temperatures across Alberta peaking near zero, close to the long term average. The wind will be light.
Saskatchewan
It’ll be a cool day in Saskatchewan, with temperatures struggling to reach 0. A band of snow will enter the province from Alberta in the midday, but snowfall amounts will be very light, and no travel issues are expected. It will be a mainly cloudy day with sunny breaks across the province. No significant weather is expected.
Manitoba
Southwestern Manitoba will deal with some very light snow prior to sunrise. Otherwise most of the province will be partly cloudy and dry. However, a band of snow will cross north central Manitoba from west to east through the day, starting near Flin Flon in the early morning, exiting into Ontario by the end of the day. This snow will not reach any agricultural areas. Temperatures in Manitoba will peak near zero in the southern half of the province, and remain below 0 in the northern half. Southeastern Manitoba, near Sprague, has a chance to reach +5.
Wednesday
Alberta
It will be a dry day across Alberta, with mainly sunny conditions. In the afternoon, a chinook is expected to form along the eastern slopes south of Calgary. As chinooks go, it’s not going to be tremendously windy, but the westerly breeze will bring temperatures into the 5-10 degree range in the afternoon all along the foothills from Grande Prairie to the US border and beyond. This is a drying wind, and a warm wind, and is likely to preserve the chinook’s reputation as a snow eater.
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is now in a series of uneventful weather days. There may be some light snow in the afternoon in the far northwestern corner of the province, but the rest of Saskatchewan will stay dry, and remain mainly sunny. Highs near 0 can be expected all across the province, with a light wind primarily from the west.
Manitoba
Similar to Alberta and Saskatchewan, it will be a quite weather day across most of Manitoba. A band of snow could cross the northern Interlake, but yet again, amounts will be insignificant, and agricultural regions will stay dry. Temperatures will peak near the long term average, with highs near or slightly below zero across most of the province. Around Churchill, it’s expected to be quite cold with afternoon temperatures from –15 to -20.
Thursday
Thursday is the first day of spring! The equinox happened at 3:01 am Mountain time, 4:01 Central, and now, daylight hours begin to exceed the hours of darkness. And yes, you can stand an egg on end during the equinox. OR AT ANY OTHER TIME ON ANY OTHER DAY, provided you can find an egg where the yolk is exactly in the centre. Good luck with that.
Speaking of luck, Calgary lucked out over what was supposed to be a cold, La-Nina induced winter. For the first time since the winter of 2016-2017, Calgary remained warmer than -30. For the rest of the prairies, though, no such luck…
Alberta
Cloud cover returns to much of the province on Thursday, and there is the possibility of some afternoon rain showers or flurries from Grande Prairie southeast toward Medicine Hat and the Cypress Hills. Temperatures in southern Alberta will climb to the high single digits or low double digits. Otherwise, no significant weather is expected on what will be a very warm day in Alberta. Highs above zero are expected even well north of Edmonton.
Saskatchewan
A Low pressure system will develop in northeastern Saskatchewan during the morning, and quickly head into Manitoba. A weak trough of low pressure will drag behind the low, and there will be snow in the northeastern part of the province. Again, it will be light snow. The southern two thirds of Saskatchewan will remain dry and sunny until the afternoon. At that time, some cloud cover will build in the southwestern portion of the province, where flurries may develop in the evening. Southwestern Saskatchewan will be warm, with highs as warm as 10, while elsewhere in agricultural regions, more snow disappears as highs climb above zero, and the sun causes evaporation of whatever snow remains on the ground.
Manitoba
A low pressure system from Saskatchewan will cross north central Manitoba during the day, creating light to moderate snow north of the lakes and in the northern Interlake. In the evening, the precipitation moves southward, bringing flurries to parts of southern Manitoba, along with a gusty wind. Temperatures south of the snow will climb to near or slightly above zero. Further north, in most areas, highs will remain below -10.
Friday
Alberta
A low pressure system develops in Alberta, and the atmosphere becomes unstable. Convective showers, widely scattered, will bring rain to central and southern Alberta. In southwestern Alberta, the precipitation will fall in the form of snow. This is an area of more serious drought, so the 5-10 cm of snow will be quite welcome. The heaviest snowfalls will be in Crowsnest Pass. Because this precipitation is convective, thunder and lightning can’t be ruled out. Unlikely, but possible.
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan will be cooled by a ridge of high pressure from the north. It’s this ridge that clears out the sky, but it brings with it an arctic chill. Except for the Maple Creek/Swift Current region of southwestern Saskatchewan, temperatures will remain near or below zero all day. It will be especially cold along a line from Saskatoon to Brandon, Manitoba. There, roughly along the Yellowhead highway, temperatures may linger near -10 all day.
Manitoba
As arctic high pressure builds into Saskatchewan and Manitoba during the day, the sky will remain sunny, but the temperature will remain well below average. Early in the morning, temperatures in northern Manitoba will be well below -10, and in the south, below -5. And there won’t be much change through the day. Expect afternoon highs to climb only about 5 degrees higher than the early morning lows. Despite the cool weather, the sun will be out, and cause some snow melt and evaporation.
Saturday
Alberta
Scattered precipitation will continue in Alberta, and snow will be centered around an area of Low pressure in the north-central part of the province. In the south, the day will begin with dry weather, but with an unstable atmosphere, daytime heating may cause some clouds to bubble up, and again produce some scattered rain showers. The area with the greatest potential for the afternoon and evening showers, is a northwest-southeast line from Calgary to Medicine Hat. There is a catch, though. The wind will shift to the west, and the drying downslope wind may cause the rain to evaporate before it reaches the ground. In the south, high temperatures will range between 5 and 10 degrees. In the north, expect highs between 0 and 5.
Saskatchewan
An Alberta clipper will move through southern Saskatchewan during the day, along with a warm front across the region. Rain, snow, or a combination of both will develop in southern Saskatchewan as the system moves through. As the day goes on, the precipitation will weaken, and the Low will move into the US. Rain and snow accumulations will be light. At times, though, in the afternoon, the snow could come down fairly heavily, disrupting travel on the Trans Canada highway. To the north of Saskatoon, expect mainly cloudy conditions. Highs across the province will range from -5 to +5, with the possibility of slightly warmer weather in the southwestern corner of Saskatchewan.
Manitoba
Temperatures in Manitoba are expected to remain below freezing, as the warmer air in southern Saskatchewan heads south, bypassing southern Manitoba. Periods of light snow are expected through the day in southern Manitoba, and when there are breaks in the snow, it will remain cloudy. On the other hand, it will be mainly sunny to the north, through the Interlake toward the Nunavut boundary. The snow will continue into Sunday, and there is the potential for up to 10 cm through the Red River Valley.
Sunday
Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba
Southern Manitoba will receive significant snowfall, with 5-10 cm expected south of the Lakes. As mentioned above, the Red River Valley is in line for up to 10 cm by the end of the day Sunday. To the west, it will be drier. Saskatchewan will be mainly sunny on Monday, and chinook conditions will develop in Alberta, bringing warm, dry air to the province, while significant snow falls west of the continental divide in BC. With the chinook, temperatures across Alberta will climb above the melting point, with most of the province peaking between 5 and 10 degrees. Highs of 10-15 can be expected in the south, particularly between Calgary and Lethbridge. Some of that warm air will be felt across western Saskatchewan, while the eastern part of the province will experience highs near zero. And, for Manitoba, it will be another sub zero day, with highs across the province near -5.
COMPARE: Prairie Weather this Week – Mar 10
