The people of Portage la Prairie have been enjoying the recent spring-like conditions; however, Stephen Berg, a meteorologist from Environment and Climate Change Canada, says winter isn’t quite ready to say 'goodbye' to the prairies.
"It's looking fairly pleasant for the first part of the week for sure," Berg says, noting daytime highs will remain around 5 to 8 degrees today and tomorrow. "But a system coming in from the West will bring some potential showers or flurries to the area. It’ll cool off for the weekend, with temperatures close to zero during the day and lows dropping back into the -10°C range by Saturday night."
As for how much snow to expect, the forecast is still cloudy.
"It’s a tough call at the moment. We might get anywhere from just a couple of centimeters to as much as 10-15 centimeters of snow, depending on which model you look at."
Manitoba winters are often unpredictable says Berg, referencing the April 1997 winter storm that produced significant snowfall and contributed to the subsequent flood of the century. The blizzard hovered over the region from April 4th to 7th, dropping over 40 cm of snow and lasting nearly 80 hours. Flights were canceled, people were stranded, and postal services were halted.
"That was in April, so it could happen anytime next month too."
Though everyone is excited to see the sun shining and the flowers in bloom, Berg is cautious to say this will be the last snowfall of the winter.
"I think it's too early to say where things are going. It does look like it might recover towards warmer temperatures for next week, but that's a little too far ahead for me to say at the moment."
Though winter's end is never certain in Manitoba, Portage la Prairie can look forward to warmer days.
"Hopefully it'll be a bit of a start for spring next week and beyond!"