After spotty precipitation earlier in the week brought some rain to the region, our PembinaValleyOnline Rainwatchers are telling us Friday morning the widespread rainfall Thursday was very welcomed, indeed.
"Spotty, sporadic and in many locations, not quite enough," said CMOS Accredited Weathercaster Chris Sumner when asked about the overall precipitation pattern so far this Summer. "It has been a pretty rare occurrence for us to see totals coming in from the general geographic region, and with some long-season crops still at staging where additional moisture will help, yesterday's showers were good news, and so will any additional rain in the coming days."
According to Sumner, a trough of low pressure moving through Southern Manitoba yesterday led to the precipitation, with another similar disturbance coming out of Saskatchewan Friday leading to additional shower chances, but overall less likely than Thursday.
The following totals are from PembinaValleyOnline Rainwatchers, Environment Canada and the Manitoba Ag Weather Network:
Brunkild - 19.2mm (nearly 8/10)
Elm Creek - 18.0mm
Jordan - 16.7mm
Carman - 16.6mm
Horndean (north) - 15mm
Kane 14.8mm (almost 7/10)
Manitou - 14.4mm
Pilot Mound - 13.9mm
Plum Coulee - 13.23mm
Steinbach - 13.0mm
Dominion City - 12.7mm
Morris - 11.1mm
Morden (two miles south) - 10mm
Altona (airport) - 9.3mm (almost 4/10)
Morden - 9.1mm
Winnipeg (airport) - 8.4mm
Altona (in town) - 8.0mm
Winkler (south of city) - 7.8mm (just over 3/10)
Reinland - 5.8mm
Gretna - 4.4mm
25mm = 1 inch
The unsettled pattern will continue today, with those shower and thunderstorm chances throughout the day.
"As that low pressure system approaches, westerly winds will pick up by early afternoon," noted Sumner. "Also, the generally northwesterly flow aloft, coupled with upper level troughing over the region, means temperatures will remain below average for this time of year. Today through the weekend daytime highs will range between 20 and 23, with mainly cloudy conditions throughout. We will more than likely see some peeks of sunshine Saturday, as a more stable airmass moves in behind the passage of Friday's low."
And for those planning to enjoy Winkler's Harvest Festival this weekend, Sumner noted both Friday and Saturday should be dry, but Sunday it's looking likely your family will need to prepare for rain.
"The forecast models are showing another low pressure system moving through the area then, and it appears likely we'll see a similar rainfall event as Thursday," he said. "Relatively widespread, and highly likely to include measurable rainfall amounts."
As for the long-range models into next week, Sumner is expecting temperatures to remain somewhat below seasonal for mid-August, and at this point, there could be multiple chances of showers, but it's still too early to say with confidence.
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