Winnipeg should get set for a big snowfall, climatologist says

Get ready for snow, Winnipeg.

That’s the message from Environment and Climate Change Canada, which is forecasting a big dump of the white stuff on much of southern Manitoba, including Winnipeg, Monday night into Tuesday.

Senior climatologist David Phillips told 680 CJOB he expects it’ll start around 9 p.m. in the city, and taper off by noon Tuesday.

“The total amount in Winnipeg, I would say, would be somewhere between 10 and 20 centimetres of snow,” said Phillips.

“The worry, of course, after that is the strong winds. You have to shovel, plow it and push it about three or four times before it begins to settle down.”

Phillips said Winnipeggers should expect a dry snow, which blows around a lot easier than heavy, wet snow. That means visibility will likely be an issue on city streets.

“Most prairie clippers are really dry snow. They don’t have a lot — maybe 5 to 8 cm of snow — but we see much more with this one,” he said.

“Why that is concerning is it’s easy to blow around. We see some winds picking up, particularly tomorrow afternoon after the snow kind of peters out,” he said Monday. “We see some winds picking up, quite possibly up to 60, 70 km/h.

There will be “a lot of blowing and drifting with that particular system,” he added.

In a release Monday morning, the City of Winnipeg said its crews are watching road conditions and encouraging drivers to stay cautious.

The annual snow route parking ban is also in effect, meaning vehicles parked on snow routes between 2-7 a.m. could receive a ticket or be towed.

Due to the coming isnowfall, which may limit road access, the Southern Health-Santé Sud health region is advising patients to expect a potential delay or cancellations in appointments, and urging them to call ahead before leaving the house.

0:57 Recent snowfall not enough to quell drought fears: KAP