578  
FOCN45 CWWG 181900  
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER DISCUSSION ISSUED BY THE PRAIRIE AND ARCTIC STORM  
PREDICTION CENTRE OF ENVIRONMENT CANADA AT 2:00 PM CDT MONDAY MARCH  
18 2024.  
 
ALERTS IN EFFECT...BLIZZARD WARNINGS FOR BAKER LAKE AND ARVIAT.  
WINTER STORM WATCH FOR RANKIN INLET. SNOWFALL WARNING FOR NORTHEAST  
MB. SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT FOR SOUTHERN AND WEST CENTRAL ALBERTA.  
 
SYNOPTIC OVERVIEW...ALOFT, A HIGH SITS OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST  
WITH ITS RIDGE EXTENDING INTO BC AND YUKON. THE FLOW THEN DIVES  
SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE EASTERN PRAIRIES INTO A TROUGH THAT EXTENDS  
FROM AROUND JAMES BAY DOWN SOUTH OVER THE GREAT LAKES AND INTO THE  
US. A SHORTWAVE TROUGH IS OVER NORTHERN MANITOBA. A WEAK HIGH SITS  
OVER SOUTHERN BAFFIN ISLAND. A LOW SPINS NEAR BOOTHIA PENINSULA.  
 
AT THE SURFACE, A LOW IS DEVELOPING OVER YUKON. A HIGH FROM THE  
BEAUFORT SEA SPREADS ITS RIDGE OVER NWT. WEAK RIDGING ALSO EXISTS  
OVER BC. A LOW IN NORTHWEST MB HAS A WARM FRONT SOUTH THROUGH MB AND  
A COLD FRONT EXTENDING WESTWARD THROUGH THE NORTHERN PRAIRIES. A  
RIDGE OVER NORTHWEST ON EXTENDS NORTH INTO HUDSON BAY AND BAFFIN  
ISLAND.  
 
DISCUSSION...  
 
ALBERTA...ONE MORE DAY OF ABOVE SEASONAL TEMPERATURES IS ON TAP, WITH  
MUCH OF THE PROVINCE SEEING HIGHS IN THE TEENS AGAIN TODAY. HOWEVER,  
A COLD FRONT WILL BEGIN MAKING ITS WAY SOUTH THROUGH THE PROVINCE  
TODAY, PUTTING AN END TO THIS WARM SPELL. PRECIPITATION TYPING MAY BE  
AN ISSUE FOR NORTHERN PARTS OF THE PROVINCE THIS AFTERNOON AND  
EVENING, WITH RAIN SHOWERS EXPECTED ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE FRONT BUT  
SNOW BEHIND IT. BY THE TIME THE FRONT REACHES THE SOUTHERN HALF OF  
THE PROVINCE OVERNIGHT ANY REMAINING PRECIPITATION WILL FALL AS SNOW.  
 
ON TUESDAY, THE FRONT WILL STALL ALONG THE ROCKIES, WITH UPSLOPE FLOW  
IN THE REGION SETTING THE STAGE FOR A LONG-DURATION SNOWFALL EVENT  
BEGINNING TUESDAY NIGHT AND CONTINUING THROUGH THURSDAY. MUCH OF THE  
SOUTHERN HALF OF THE PROVINCE WILL BE BLANKETED BY 15-30 CENTIMETRES  
BY EVENT END.  
 
NRN MB/KIVALLIQ...THE LOW OVER NORTHWEST MB WILL CONTINUE TO TRAVEL  
SOUTHEAST TODAY AND SUPPORT AN AREA OF SIGNIFICANT SNOW NORTH AND  
EAST OF THE LOW TRACK. WIDESPREAD STORM-TOTAL SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS  
OF 5 TO 10 CM ACROSS NORTHEASTERN MANITOBA AND SOUTHERN KIVALLIQ ARE  
EXPECTED. THERE WILL BE AN ENHANCED AREA OF 10 TO 15 CM IN THE  
CHURCHILL REGION NORTHWARDS TO ARVIAT. SNOWFALL WARNINGS HAVE BEEN  
ISSUED FOR PARTS OF NORTHEAST MB. SNOW WILL TAPER OFF MONDAY NIGHT  
TO TUESDAY MORNING.  
 
AS THE LOW DEPARTS AND A HIGH BUILDS FROM THE NORTHWEST, A STRONG  
GRADIENT WILL DEVELOP OVER PORTIONS OF THE KIVALLIQ AND NORTHERN MB.  
THIS WILL SUPPORT WIDESPREAD WINDS OF 50 TO 60 KM/H WITH GUSTS UP TO  
80 KM/H BEGINNING MONDAY EVENING. WITH THE FRESH SNOW ACROSS THE  
REGION, THESE STRONG WINDS WILL SUPPORT WIDESPREAD BLOWING SNOW. A  
BLIZZARD WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR BAKER AND ARVIAT AND THE  
SNOWFALL WARNING FOR CHURCHILL WILL LIKELY BE UPGRADED TO A BLIZZARD  
WARNING LATER TODAY. A WINTER STORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR RANKIN  
INLET WHICH WILL ALSO LIKELY BE UPGRADED TO A BLIZZARD WARNING LATER  
TODAY. THE BLOWING SNOW/BLIZZARD CONDITIONS WILL TAPER OFF ON  
TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY.  
 
SRN SK/MB...THE NORTHERN MB LOW WILL BRING A WAVE OF WARMER  
TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PRAIRIES TODAY. THE COLD FRONT THEN  
SWEEPS SOUTHWARDS AND WILL BRING BREEZY CONDITIONS AND SEASONAL TO  
BELOW-SEASONAL TEMPERATURES TO THE REGION FOR MUCH OF THE WEEK.  
 
NWT...COLD TEMPERATURES EXPECTED OVERNIGHT TONIGHT UNDER THE RIDGE  
AXIS STRETCHING THROUGH CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE TERRITORY. WIND  
CHILL VALUES NORTH OF GREAT SLAVE LAKE ARE CURRENTLY FORECAST TO  
APPROACH BUT NOT QUITE MEET EXTREME COLD CRITERIA.  
 
NUNAVUT...A NORTHERLY GRADIENT OVER THE KITIKMEOT WILL KEEP WIND  
CHILLS NEAR -50 AGAIN TONIGHT.  
 
END/BILOUS/GRIFFITH  
 
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