As I mentioned in last weeks weather article, March and April can see some of the biggest snowstorms of the year. While I don't think this one will be one for the record books, there's the potential for some wintery weather across the Prairies between now and the end of the weekend.
Prairie forecast: Dreaded Colorado low on the radar
Forecast issued March 12, covering March 12 to 19, 2025
Prairie forecast: Very mild west, slowly warming east
Forecast issued March 5, covering March 5 to 12, 2025
As we ease into what can be the stormiest and snowiest time of the year on the Prairies, the big question is—are we going to see a late winter snowstorm? Well, I can say that we won’t. What I can say is the odds are low in this forecast period.
Prairie forecast: Mild and dry west – unsettled start to the east
In recent days the weather models have leaned towards the mild weather sticking around. The the main medium to long range forecast models are calling for a warmer than average March across the Prairies. Maybe we are seeing an early start to spring.
Prairie forecast: Cold snap coming to an end
Forecast issued February 19, covering Feb. 19 to 26, 2025
For this forecast period, as predicted a week ago, we're finally going to see an end to this long cold snap. The polar vortex is weakening and is forecasted to move off to the east. This will allow for a strong push of mild Pacific air to flood across the Prairies. It should bring temperatures above freezing to Alberta beginning early in the forecast period. Near to above freezing temperatures should move into Saskatchewan and Manitoba over the weekend.
Prairie forecast: Cold high pressure to dominate
Forecast issued February 12, covering Feb. 12 to 19, 2025
Unfortunately, it looks like the cold weather will stick around for at least this forecast period. Maybe a little bit longer. There are some signs of this pattern breaking down near the end of the month, so let’s keep our fingers crossed.
Prairie forecast: Midwinter cold settles in
Forecast issued February 5, covering Feb. 5 to Feb. 12, 2025
We start this forecast period off with plenty of cold air in place, which is a 180-degree change from a week ago. Saskatchewan and Manitoba will also have to deal with a disturbance on Wednesday and Thursday that may bring upwards of 15 cm of fluffy snow.
Prairie forecast: Weekend low to bring snow to swaths of the Prairies
Forecast issued January 29, covering Jan. 29 to Feb. 5, 2025
We start this forecast period off with plenty of warm air in place across much of the Prairies. We continue to see areas of low pressure dropping southeastward from the western territories into northwestern Ontario with high pressure still in place across the northwestern U.S. and southwestern Canada.
Prairie forecast: Warm west, cooler east
This forecast period starts with the last of the bitterly cold air departing Manitoba thanks to a weak area of low pressure that moved through on Wednesday. This low, combined with an area of high pressure building over the northwestern U.S., helped to pull mild air in off the Pacific and push it eastwards across the Prairies.
Prairie forecast: Mild start replaced by Arctic high pressure
Forecast issued January 15, covering Jan. 15 to 22, 2025
We start this forecast period with an area of low-pressure sliding southeastwards through the southern Northwest Territories and into northern Manitoba. This low is pulling mild air northwards, which means a continuation of mild temperatures in Alberta, while Saskatchewan and Manitoba are seeing a rapid rebound from the cold start to the week.
Prairie forecast: Battle between warm and cold
Forecast issued January 8, covering January 8 to 15, 2025
For this forecast period, the weather models have been bouncing back and forth between a return to cold weather after a brief mid-week warmup or a return to the mild weather pattern we saw during much of December. The models have been slowly converging towards the milder solutions, but at this point confidence in the second half of this forecast period is low.
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
