Portage la Prairie has kicked off May with wind and cooler air following a low pressure system, but clearer skies and much warmer conditions are taking over quickly.
Chris Stammers, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, explains that a low pressure system to the north led to strong southerly winds early Monday, which were followed by a northwest shift in wind direction once a cold front passed through the region. Wind gusts reached as high as 70 km/h and persisted into the evening hours.
"We saw southerly winds gusting to 60 km/h, but then a cold front went through kind of early to mid-afternoon and kind of saw the temperature drop a bit. And then winds picked up out of the northwest and they were as strong as about 50 km/h with gusts near 70 km/h and that kind of lasted into the evening."
Winds begin to ease Tuesday, though they remain brisk from the north at 30 km/h, gusting to 50, before becoming light by evening. Today’s high reaches 16°C, just shy of seasonal normals.
Warming trend returns mid-week
Wednesday will bring sunny skies and a high of 21°C, while Thursday signals a stronger return of heat, with a forecast high of 30°C. After a brief drop to 18°C on Friday—along with wind—temperatures climb again into the weekend.
"It does look like the heat’s going to build back in pretty quickly here. So by Thursday, we’re expecting highs near 30 again and similar for later on the weekend as well," adds Stammers.
By Sunday and Monday, highs are expected to push into the low to mid-30s, with little precipitation expected in the short term.
"Maybe even for Monday, Tuesday next week, maybe even pushing into the low to mid 30s and then maybe about the middle of next week a chance for a return of some showers," continues Stammers.
Cool nights and wildfire concerns
Despite the rising daytime heat, Tuesday night will see temperatures drop near freezing. The region is forecasting an overnight low of +1°C, though Stammers says it could fall closer to zero.
The overall trend of dry and warm conditions raises concerns for wildfire activity, especially following a notably dry April.
April warmer and drier than average
Portage la Prairie finished April with a monthly average temperature of +5.0°C, one degree above the long-term normal of +4.0°C. It was the 40th warmest April on record.
The area also recorded just 14.2 millimetres of precipitation during the month—only 39 percent of the typical 36.8 millimetres. That made it the 35th driest April in the local record book.
No temperature records were broken in Portage during the recent heat, despite several being topped elsewhere in the province.
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