Heading into Wednesday, based on the forecast alone, many would have assumed it could end up being a record setting day. Daytime highs were forecast to land between 19 and 21, and for most locations, if those marks were hit, new records would have been set.
"We did see some well above average temperatures yesterday, but more cloud cover than expected, in some areas, kept things a degree or two cooler," explained CMOS Accredited Weathercaster Chris Sumner. "Because the sun wasn't shining all day in parts of the province, that additional heat wasn't added into the mix until very late in the afternoon. Put that all together, and it means many locations topped out around 18 or 19, rather than the 20 to 21 needed to set a new record."
Unseasonably warm air ahead of a low pressure system did bring record breaking temperatures to some locales Wednesday. The following is courtesy Environment Canada, and indicates Sprague in the far southeastern corner of the province was the Manitoba hot spot yesterday.
Sprague Area
New record of 21.8
Old record of 18.9 set in 1978
Records in this area have been kept since 1915
Pinawa Area
New record of 21.5
Old record of 20.0 set in 1978
Records in this area have been kept since 1915
Pilot Mound Area
Tied record of 20.0
Old record of 20.0 set in 1978
Records in this area have been kept since 1938
Pine Falls Area
New record of 19.9
Old record of 17.8 set in 1978
Records in this area have been kept since 1922
Emerson Area
New record of 19.8
Old record of 19.4 set in 1978
Records in this area have been kept since 1893
Steinbach Area
New record of 18.7
Old record of 16.7 set in 1965
Records in this area have been kept since 1956
Gimli Area
New record of 18.7
Old record of 17.3 set in 1978
Records in this area have been kept since 1944
According to Sumner, the stretch of unseasonably warm weather has come to end, with the passing of the cold front associated with that low that pumped in all that warm air Wednesday. That means daytime highs Thursday will be 10 to 15 degrees cooler than Wednesday.
"In behind that low a much colder airmass will descend from Canada's north as a trough in the jet stream allows it to move southward," he explained. "Highs Thursday through the weekend will hover between 4 and 7 degrees, keeping in mind average daytime highs for this time of year are around +4. Looking ahead to the weekend, we can also expect gusty conditions Saturday night and Sunday as a low pressure system crossing the Southern Prairies makes its way through the region."