Melting snow could bring record temperatures to southern Manitoba

WINNIPEG — Temperatures are on the rise across the province of Manitoba with the potential for some record breaking heat in the coming days.

Wednesday could be the last day for almost a week where generally, temperatures across southern Manitoba do not rise above the freezing mark.

Thursday’s forecast is calling for highs as low as 2 C and as warm as 7 C.

These warm temperatures and the resulting snow melt will play a large role in determining the temperatures heading into the the weekend. If there is no snow left on the ground, temperatures will rise even higher on Friday and Saturday. On these days with enough snow melt, temperatures could get closer to 10 C.

Snow on the ground would reduce the amount of heat that would be absorbed from the sun and therefor keep temperatures slightly cooler. Winnipeg’s snow depth, according to an Environment Canada reading station, reads at 42 centimetres on Feb. 14. While the warmer weather will likely reduce the snow depth, it will not be enough to get to ground level so Winnipeg should remain cooler in comparison to some areas.

Recently, temperature records were broken in northern Manitoba on Sunday and Monday. Sunday, The Pas was the only place to break a record with a high of 2 C. On Sunday, there were eight records broken.

Here is a list of the new records from Environment Canada:

Sunday:

The Pas
New record of  2 C
Old record of 1.7 C set in 1924
Records started in 1911

Monday:
Fisher Branch
New record daily maximum of 4.9 C
Old record of 2 C set in 2005
Records started in 1978

The Pas
New record daily maximum of 6.2 C
Old record of 2.5 C set in 2002
Records started in 1911

Flin Flon
New record daily maximum of 6.4 C
Old record of 3.9 C set in 1934
Records started in 1927

Norway House
New record daily maximum of 5 C
Old record of 1.1 C set in 1935
Records started in 1885

Island Lake
New record daily maximum of 0.1 C
Old record of -0.5 C set in 2005
Records started in 1971

Thompson
New record daily maximum of 2 C
Old record of -4.8 C set in 1999
Records started in 1967

Gillam
New record daily maximum of -1.9 C
Old record of -5 C set in 1952
Records started in 1944

Lynn Lake
New record daily maximum of 1.7 C
Old record of -1.9 C set in 1999
Records started in 1953