October ended up being a month of extremes in southern Manitoba.
Meteorologist Scott Kehler with Weatherlogics says the month started with temperatures near 30 degrees. The hottest temperature recorded was 29.5 degrees on October 1st. But, by the end of the month, there was snow on the ground, and the region had already experienced temperatures below -15 degrees.
Kehler says as a whole, the average temperature in southern Manitoba last month was about 1 degree warmer than normal.
From a precipitation standpoint, October ended up being wetter than normal. Kehler says Gretna received 43 millimetres of precipitation last month, which is about average for October. Morden registered above-normal precipitation at 59.1 millimetres.
Kehler says Winnipeg also recorded the 11th snowiest month of October in more than 150 years of collecting data.
Kehler says we also had a very long growing season in southern Manitoba. He notes some areas saw no frost between late April and early October, resulting in a growing season that lasted at least five months.
"That type of weather is very unusual, about a month longer than normal," he says. "And among the longest growing seasons ever recorded."
Meanwhile, Kehler says they are tracking a system that could drop precipitation in southern Manitoba, beginning Sunday. He notes this is a difficult system to forecast correctly because what falls from the sky will vary depending on where you are located. Kehler says currently, their weather models show mostly rain however, if the system shifts a bit to the south, it could be mostly snow that falls.
Kehler says because this system is coming from the north, it is not expected to be a heavy precipitation producer. He notes areas to the south could see five millimetres of rain, while areas to the north could see 10 to 15 centimetres of snow.
As for the rest of November, Kehler says the weather pattern is pointing to a month with above normal temperatures. He notes this could be because of the influence of the El Nino.
"That will probably put a dent in any snow that's fallen," he says.
And, with above normal temperatures, Kehler says there is also a very good chance of more sunshine than we have been seeing lately. However, he reminds us that November is typically one of the cloudiest months of the year.
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