Climatologist says winter weather is coming back to Winnipeg — kind of

After a very unseasonable few weeks marred by melting snow and slushy roads, it’s about to feel a lot more like a typical February in southern Manitoba.

Environment and Climate Change Canada has put out a snowfall warning for the Westman and Interlake regions, while Winnipeg and area is under a special weather statement.

Senior climatologist David Phillips told 680 CJOB’s The Start that while some parts of the province will see snowfall well into the double digits, the Red River Valley will be mostly spared a heavy dumping of the white stuff.

“It’s really a temperature hovering around the freezing mark so what we’re seeing are some freezing moments, some melting moments. We’re seeing therefore a mixed bag of precipitation,” Phillips said.

“Maybe the western part of the Red River Valley, Portage (la Prairie), might see eight centimetres (of snow). I think in Winnipeg, probably less than five when it’s all over.”

Phillips said the rain drizzling on the city Thursday morning is likely to change to snow later in the afternoon and into Thursday night, but the Colorado Low coming through the region isn’t ultimately going to be the definitive winter storm of the season — and temperatures are likely to be seasonable or better in the coming days.

“This is not the big one of the winter. I thought this would be the biggest snowfall, which is not saying much. This is not going to give you your defined winter at all. It’s just going to be a weather system that typically occurs at this time of the year.

“This is not a painful kind of a storm.”

1:38 Slush in Winnipeg is more than a clearing issue, there are mobility challenges too

&© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.