Special weather statements issued ahead of winter storm

This post was updated at 2:00 pm CDT on Oct 9, 2019

The following is a discussion from Environment Canada. If you are interested in a more detailed forecast, head to our blog!

"A COLORADO LOW TRACKING NORTH THURSDAY WILL BRING ANOTHER WAVE OF   PRECIP TO MB. PRECIP TYPE AND AMOUNTS WILL BE A CHALLENGE TO PIN DOWN, WITH 12Z RDPS SHOWING RAIN/SNOW LINE RIGHT THROUGH WINNIPEG FOR A PROLONGED PERIOD OF TIME. EVENTUALLY COLD AIR PREVAILS, AND WINNIPEG WILL LIKELY WAKE UP TO SNOW ON THE GROUND FRIDAY MORNING, WITH SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER ACCUMULATIONS FURTHER WEST. SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL WILL LIKELY BE AN ISSUE EAST OF THE CITY. SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT WILL LIKELY BE REPLACED WITH WATCHES AND WARNINGS OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS. RAIN OR SNOW, THE HEAVY PRECIP COULD EXACERBATE THE PRE-EXISTING FLOOD RISK. EXPECTING THIS SYSTEM TO ALSO BRING STRONG WINDS THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND AS WELL. " - Prairie and Arctic Storm Prediction Center

Special weather statements (grey) and snowfall warnings (red) as of Oct 9th. Click image for latest watches/warnings

Statements

12:11 PM CDT Wednesday 09 October 2019 Special weather statement in effect for areas in grey

An early season winter storm will affect southern Manitoba late this week into the holiday weekend. The system which has already developed in Colorado will move northward through the remainder of the work week, eventually stalling over the Lake of the Woods area by Saturday. Precipitation associated with this system has already moved into western Manitoba where snowfall warnings are in effect for the Parklands.

This storm will bring significant precipitation to much of southern Manitoba, much of it falling as a wintery rain/snow mix. Snowfall accumulations are highly uncertain at the moment, however it seems as though the highest amounts will be north and west of Winnipeg, where total snowfall accumulations near 30 cm are possible by the end of the day Saturday. East of Winnipeg the majority of the precipitation should fall as rain.

The snow will be accompanied by strong north winds, with temperatures hovering around the freezing mark. Travel will be significantly affected, especially west of Winnipeg. Consider altering travel plans. Watch for updated forecasts and warnings.