Prairie Weather (Rural Roots Canada) – RRC Meteorologist David Spence provides a mid-week prairie weather update!
Thursday:
Alberta
Snow will carry on through the day along the central boundary between Alberta and Saskatchewan, and in northern Alberta. This will provide moisture to the agricultural regions near Grande Prairie and in the Peace region. There won’t be a whole lot of it, though, with 2-5 cm possible. The moisture is coming from a Low pressure system that will cross from southeastern Alberta to southwestern Saskatchewan by early afternoon. In Southern Alberta, no precipitation is expected, as a drying westerly wind continues to produce chinook conditions. The chinook will produce warm weather south of Red Deer, with temperatures reaching 10-15 degrees southeast of Calgary in the afternoon, with 5-10 degree highs west of Highway 2. North of Red Deer, temperatures will remain below zero through the day.
Saskatchewan
It’ll be another warm day south of Saskatoon, where highs will reach 5-10 degrees. Mild Pacific air will spread across the south, and with a westerly wind, highs of 10-15 are possible south of the Trans Canada Highway. A low in Alberta that develops Wednesday will move into southern Saskatchewan, and by the afternoon, will be centered near Weyburn. Because it will be so warm south of Highway 1, rain is expected to fall in the vicinity of the Low. This, of course, is beneficial rainfall, as where the ground remains unfrozen there is a chance of the moisture sinking in, and getting locked in through the winter freeze. However, the warmth does not extend that far north, so there will be snow across central Saskatchewan throughout most of the day.
Manitoba
The morning started with fog in parts of Manitoba. This photo was captured mid morning near Oakville:
As the fog disappears, some afternoon rain and snow can be expected near Swan River and The Pas, from a Low pressure system in southern Saskatchewan. The circulation around that low will generate a southeasterly wind across most of southern Manitoba, and a northeasterly wind in the north. Temperatures in southern Manitoba could reach 5-10 degrees, but with the northeasterly wind up north, some areas may have a very cold day with temperatures from -5 to -15. Other than the west central rain and snow, the rest of the province is expected to stay dry.
Friday:
Alberta
The weather in Alberta becomes cool and unsettled, as a large upper trough develops over the western prairies and the mountain west of the United States. Beneath this large trough, the weather will be quite unsettled with periods of light snow expected in Alberta north of Calgary, and cool weather across the province. From Athabasca all the way south to highway 3, temperatures may briefly pop up above the melting point. The only significantly warm area will be south of Highway 3, where temperatures could reach 5-10 degrees, and the wind will lighten up and change direction from west to north by mid afternoon.
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan will also feel the effects of the large upper trough, with snow falling in the northeastern quarter of the province through the day. With the cool, unsettled air, temperatures across most of the province will only reach values near 0, though highs above 5 degrees are possible south of the Trans Canada Highway. The Low pressure system near The Pas will remain nearly stationary, so the snow in the northeast will be slow to pull away.
Manitoba
Like the other prairie provinces, Manitoba will be cool and unsettled. From the northern half of Lake Winnipeg to the province’s northern boundary, snow can be expected yet again, while the southern agricultural regions will not likely get any rain or snow. The snow is being generated by a nearly stationary surface Low, which will spend most of the day near The Pas, moving very slowly ENE. On the south side of the Low, it will rain across central Manitoba, but to the north, as mentioned, there will be snow. The same low giving snow to the north will draw mild air from the south into southern Manitoba, and double digit highs are possible from Portage La Prairie south to North Dakota. Elsewhere in southern Manitoba, with a westerly wind, and no moisture, the agricultural regions will stay dry.
Saturday:
Alberta
Another major storm slams into the BC coast, providing heavy rain, with big snowfalls through the interior. As is typical, that moisture gets wrung out over the Rockies, leaving Alberta with dry, breezy weather. Chinook conditions will develop, and temperatures will climb above the melting point all along the foothills, from the Peace region to the US border and beyond. The warm air will extend across central Alberta. There is a chance for double digit highs roughly in a line from Springbank to Milk River.
Saskatchewan
Across the province it will be cool, with highs a few degrees either side of zero. The wind will be coming from the south, but it’s dry air, and in most areas, no significant precipitation is expected. Except for the far southeastern corner of the province. A moisture-laden low will move up from the southwest to the North Dakota-South Dakota-Minnesota boundary, and some snow from the low is expected to reach extreme southeastern Saskatchewan. There is a possibility the moisture in this area will initially fall in the morning as freezing rain before changing over to snow. This could deposit a thin layer of treacherous ice on roads and highways.
Manitoba
As a surface low in the US gets closer to the province, it will spread moisture into southern Manitoba through the day. Rain or freezing rain can expected in the morning in the Brandon area, changing to snow as the circulation around the US low draws cold air into western Manitoba. On the east side of the low, a southeasterly circulation will pump in warmer air along with the moisture, so rain can be expected in the Red River Valley and the southern Interlake. The rain will turn to snow in many areas as it cools down in the evening. In the warm sector, in southeastern Manitoba, temperatures will reach 5-10 degrees. In the west, where the snow flies, look for highs near 0.
Sunday:
Two surface lows in Alberta will affect the weather all across the prairies. A Low in far northern Alberta will spread fairly heavy snow into northern Alberta and northwestern Saskatchewan. Most of this snow will be above the 58th parallel – way up north. The second low, near Edmonton, may lead to some minor snowfall near Hinton and Edson, but the circulation around it will bring mild air and dry air from the south into all three prairie provinces. Double digit highs can be expected in southern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan. This map shows temperatures expected mid-afternoon Sunday.
COMPARE TO EARLIER THIS WEEK: Prairie Weather This Week – Nov 11
