After a stretch of cooler than average temperatures, and on-again off-again showers, Southern Manitoba is heading into a pattern shift which will bring a return to sunnier and drier conditions.
"Since last Friday, we've seen multiple rounds of showers roll through the region," noted CMOS Accredited Weathercaster Chris Sumner. "Most recently, on Monday and Tuesday, we were under the far eastern reaches of an upper level low which brought significant rainfall to parts of southwestern Saskatchewan and Southeastern Alberta, along with a surface low-pressure system which pushed some precipitation northward out of the Dakotas Tuesday. As you can see in our Rainwatcher reports, the further west you go, the more rainfall recorded due to getting closer to the main area of precipitation from that upper level low."
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The following rainfall totals are for Tuesday, May 7th and are courtesy PembinaValleyOnline Rainwatchers, Environment Canada and the Manitoba Ag Weather Network:
Cartwright - 12.3mm (half inch)
Clearwater - 10.3mm (4/10th)
Manitou - 8.0mm
Pilot Mound - 2.9mm
Winkler - 2.6mm
Plum Coulee - 2.54mm (1/10th)
Reinland - 2.2mm
Altona - 1.8mm
Gretna - 1.7mm
Winnipeg (The Forks) - 1.6mm
Emerson/Jordan - 1.3mm
Dominion City/Steinbach - 1.0mm
Morris/Carman - trace
25mm = 1 inch
As the low pulls out of the region, the cloud cover will clear out throughout the day Wednesday, with sunshine expected in many regions by the afternoon.
"Behind that, upper level ridging returns to the Prairies, meaning high pressure pushes the jet stream to our north, and a warmer airmass is able to settle into our area," said Sumner. "That's why we see temperatures rebound not only to seasonal, but above average for this point in May, over the next several days."
Average temperatures right now are 19 degrees daytime and 5 overnight. Today through early next week, highs are expected to range between 21 and 26 degrees, with little chance of precipitation for the next while.
"There's no doubt the rain we've received over the last couple weeks was much needed and welcomed," he added. "But at this point, I expect many farmers would like a dry stretch, so they can kick #Plant24 into high gear, and make some real progress over the coming days."
According to the latest Manitoba Agriculture Crop report, released Tuesday, Seeding progress across the province has been delayed with recent rains, and currently sits at approximately 4% of the acres being seeded. Producers have begun seeding spring wheat, barley, oats, and corn. The Central region is most advanced with approximately 12% of each of the major cereals planted.