The sounds of front end loaders, skid steers, dump trucks and other heavy equipment can be heard this morning throughout the region as Southern Manitoba digs out from what appears to have been the most significant snowfall of the Winter and Spring season form some areas.
According to Environment Canada, snowfall totals in the Red River Valley and Southeastern Manitoba ended up between 10 to 20cms, with Gardenton receiving nearly 24cms and Pinawa about 25cms. According to the CoCoRahs weather network, about 15 to 20cms fell in Steinbach, 13cms in Morris, 10 in Miami. Social Media reports suggest 13 to 20+ cms, fell in the Morden/Winkler/Altona region.
"For the most part, this Colorado low lined up with our initial projections of where the heaviest snow would fall, and the general range of totals estimated," said CMOS Accredited Weathercaster Chris Sumner Thursday morning. "As with any storm, there is variation within those general areas, but overall I feel we were on point with setting the expectation, and seeing the outcome line up with that."
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As of 7:40 a.m. Thursday all highways in the region were reopened by RCMP. With that said, highways throughout the region remain partly ice, snow covered or snow packed with some blowing and drifting snow. Also, rural gravel road conditions throughout the Morden/Winkler/Altona area are challenging, with significant drifting in some locations.
Even with Winter Storm Warnings ended in Southern Manitoba, Sumner noted the region will still see some lingering flurries Thursday morning from the strong low pressure system, which is now moving over James Bay.
"On the back side of that low, a few flakes and breezy conditions with northerly gusts up to 50 km/h, for at least the morning, are likely," he said. "We're expecting both the flurries and gusty northerly winds to taper off by late this afternoon, and we may even see some sunshine before the day is done. High pressure will be building into the region throughout the day, leading to a clear sky tonight, and quite chilly temperatures overnight for this time of year. "
Lows between -15 and -17 are in the forecast for Thursday night, with average overnight lows for this point in April being -3, and day time highs 8 degrees, a mark we're not only going to hit, but also surpass in the coming days.
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"Upper level ridging in the atmosphere over the next number of days, meaning the jet stream is being pushed northward, will allow much warmer weather to move into Southern Manitoba," Sumner explained. "The warm up begins Good Friday, and will progress throughout Easter weekend, before the forecast models are showing a substantial jump in temperatures for Easter Monday and the start of next week."
Highs between 12 and 15 are projected Monday through Wednesday, with seasonal to above daytime highs for much of next week, but Sumner cautioned about getting too excited for the likelihood of actually reaching those figures.
"With the snowfall received reflecting a good amount of the sun's energy in the coming days, until that melts, it will lower actual daytime highs in regions that have considerable snowpack," he said. "I think there's certainly a chance we could see double digit highs next week, but I also feel we could see those forecast slide a few degrees cooler, landing in the 10 to 12 range, rather than the mid to upper teens."
As for active weather, Sumner noted there's nothing in the long-range forecast models through mid next week, with mainly sunny conditions expected.
The below photo gallery, submitted by Eagle 93.5 Morning Show Host Ronny Guenther, shows the conditions of a rural road in the R.M. of Stanley between Friedensruh and Schanzenfeld.