Update on two part storm system headed our way

A storm system headed our way could start dropping precipitation beginning overnight in the southeast. However, meteorologist Scott Kehler with Weatherlogics says Thursday will actually be a worse day for weather than tomorrow in this part of the country.

Kehler clarifies this is actually a two-part system. The first part, which should arrive overnight, is coming from Montana. He notes this system may bring rain or snow tonight and tomorrow across the southeast. But, then on Thursday, we should see the second system, which is a Colorado Low and Kehler says it will bring significantly more snow.

Kehler says the weather over the next few days will vary greatly from one corner of the province to the other. For example, areas of western Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan could see anywhere from 20 to 40 centimetres of snow this week. In fact, he says some localized areas could see even higher amounts. 

But, as you track eastward, snowfall amounts will lessen. Kehler says he does not expect much snowfall on Wednesday in the southeast and says Thursday could bring about 15 centimetres. Having said that, he notes 15 centimetres in April is entirely different from 15 centimetres in January.

"With the strong April sun, we may see some of that melt during the day. It might be cloudy, but the sun is still coming through and that will melt a little bit," he explains. "So, the actual depth on the ground might not get as high as it would if let's say the storm was hitting in January."

Snowfall amounts for Thursday (credit: Weatherlogics)

Kehler says the tracking of this storm has not changed much in the last 24 hours. But he says the fact it is actually a two-part system, definitely makes it more complicated. 

"There is always a chance we may end up getting a bit more than expected on Wednesday," he notes. "Thursday part of the storm is still a couple of days away so that part could change a little bit too."

Meanwhile, at 3:47 pm on Tuesday, Environment Canada lifted the Winter Storm Watch for a large portion of the Red River Valley. However, the extreme western portion of our province is now under a Winter Storm Warning, with some areas under a Snowfall Warning.

Once the Colorado Low moves out of the region, Environment Canada is calling for highs of seven degrees on Sunday and eight degrees on Monday. The normal high for this time of year is 13.

Winter Storm Warning map (credit: Environment Canada)

With files from Kenton Dyck