The forecast for this period has been playing out pretty close to what the weather models were predicting, but with a few small differences.
For Alberta, the forecasted upper ridge does not look like it will get nearly as strong as originally forecasted as a strong northwesterly flow helps to flatten the ridge. This means temperatures will not warm up as much as expected and the warmer air will be confined mostly to southern regions with central and northern regions continuing to see below-average temperatures.
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Prairie forecast: Merging lows bring plenty of chances for rain
For this forecast period we start with a small but fairly potent area of low pressure lifting northwards through Manitoba. Meanwhile, weak high pressure is covering Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Across Saskatchewan, a weak disturbance rotating around a broad area of low pressure over Hudson Bay will bring a mix of sun and clouds over the next day or so along with flurries. This disturbance will move into Manitoba on Monday and is forecasted to strengthen a little bit resulting in some light snow. Snowfall amounts should mostly be in the one- to three-cm range before the system pulls off to the east by Tuesday.
Expect the colder-than-average temperatures to continue across both Manitoba and Saskatchewan as the flow remains out of the northwest all week.
— Daniel Bezte is a teacher by profession with a B.A. (Hon.) in geography, specializing in climatology from the University of Winnipeg. He operates a computerized weather station near Birds Hill Park, Man. Contact him via email with your questions and comments.
