UPDATE: Winter storm warning for Brandon, Westman
By: Connor McDowell, Local Journalism Initiative Posted: 3:06 AM CST Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024 Last Modified: 10:23 AM CST Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024
A winter storm watch that was in effect on Monday has been changed to a storm warning for the city of Brandon, with hazardous winter conditions expected.
Read this article for free:
Local journalism needs your support!
As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.
Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Starting at $14.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.
Subscribe Now
or call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.
Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
A winter storm watch that was in effect on Monday has been changed to a storm warning for the city of Brandon, with hazardous winter conditions expected.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
A winter storm watch that was in effect on Monday has been changed to a storm warning for the city of Brandon, with hazardous winter conditions expected.
Environment Canada reports that a storm approaching from the United States will bring significant snow to western Manitoba today and into Wednesday.
According to the Environment Canada website, early morning radar shos preciptation moving into western Manitoba from the southweat as the system approaches. As of 8 a.m. it was already raining in parts of Westman, including Brandon. There is a risk that this freezing rain will turn to freezing rain before transitioning to show later today as colder air wraps into the system from the west.
“The snow will continue tonight through Wednesday, with increasingly strong northwesterly winds gusting as high as 70 km/h giving very poor visibility at times in snow and blowing snow,” reads a statement from Environment Canada. “Total snowfall accumulations by Wednesday evening will range from 15 to 30 cm, and possibly more over the higher terrain of western Manitoba.”
“Another wrinkle in the forecast is if temperatures are a degree or two warmer, it’s going to make a big impact on snowfall amounts versus if they were to say, be a degree or two cooler,” a spokesperson with Environment and Climate Change Canada said Monday.
“If things start off [Tuesday] morning as snow, then we would expect those amounts to be in the upper end of the range, so closer to 25 centimetres,” he said. “If it starts off as rain and takes a bit longer to transition, we might be down closer to 15 to 20 centimetres.”
Motorists are being warned that highway surfaces will be difficult to navigate due to accumulating snow, with visibility suddenly reduced to near zero at times in heavy snow and blowing snow. Roads, walkways and parking lots may become icy and slippery.
It is advised that area residents consider postponing non-essential travel until conditions improve.
Temperatures are expected to stay just around the freezing mark, making it hard to predict what type of precipitation the region will see, the spokesperson said. Temperatures will then dip midway through the week.
On Wednesday, at the tail end of the weather system approaching from the south, strong winds are expected and a temperature drop that lasts for the rest of the week. A cold air mass is expected to roll in following the storm watch.
To begin in the evening and overnight hours today, winds between 60 and 70 kilometres per hour could lead to blowing snow conditions and visibility reductions, the spokesperson said. And starting Wednesday and stretching through the end of the week, temperatures are expected to cool off into an average daytime high of -4 C.
While it is not showing as of yet, Environment Canada expects mild La Niña effects this winter. It means the weather will trend toward cooler temperatures and above-average precipitation. That is expected to come into effect during January and February.
