351
FOCN45 CWWG 202000
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER DISCUSSION ISSUED BY THE PRAIRIE AND ARCTIC STORM
PREDICTION CENTRE OF ENVIRONMENT CANADA AT 2:00 PM CST FRIDAY
FEBRUARY 20 2026.
ALERTS IN EFFECT...YELLOW COLD WARNINGS FOR NORTHERN AND CENTRAL
ALBERTA AND PARTS OF SOUTHERN SASKATCHEWAN. A MIX OF YELLOW AND
ORANGE COLD WARNINGS FOR PARTS OF THE ARCTIC. BLIZZARD WARNINGS FOR
PARTS OF THE KITIKMEOT.
SYNOPTIC OVERVIEW...POLAR VORTEX IS IN PLACE OVER THE HIGH ARCTIC,
WITH TROUGHING EXTENDING TO NUMEROUS UPPER LEVEL LOWS, NOTABLY ONES
OVER THE GULF OF ALASKA, ONE OVER SOUTHERN ALBERTA, ONE OVER
NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO, AND ONE OVER LABRADOR. THE LOW OVER ONTARIO HAS
A WEAK UPPER HIGH JUST NORTH OF IT, CREATING A BLOCKING PATTERN.
UPPER RIDGING EXTEND FROM THE PACIFIC THROUGH BC TO NW ALBERTA.
AT THE SURFACE, A 1008 MB LOW SITS OVER THE BOOTHIA PENINSULA WITH A
WARM FRONT THAT DROPS SOUTH-SOUTHWEST AND A COLD FRONT DRAPED WEST
ALONG THE ARCTIC COAST. THE REST OF THE REGION IS DOMINATED BY HIGH
PRESSURE: HIGHS OVER HUDSON BAY, CENTRAL PRAIRIES, AND A HIGH OVER
THE BC INTERIOR. LASTLY, A 1005 MB LOW SITS OVER NORTHERN MICHIGAN
WITH AN INVERTED TROUGH THAT EXTENDS NORTHWEST INTO SOUTHERN
MANITOBA.
DISCUSSION...
AB...TEMPERATURES WILL MODERATE TODAY AS THE UPPER LOW OVER AB SLOWLY
SHIFTS EASTWARD AND CLOUD COVER MOVES IN FROM THE WEST, THOUGH COLD
WARNINGS MAY STICK AROUND FOR PARTS OF THE NORTHEAST.
PERIODS OF LIGHT SNOW WILL BEGIN OVER NORTHWESTERN REGIONS TODAY AND
CONTINUE THROUGH SATURDAY AS WEAK IMPULSES RIDE ALONG THE UPPER
RIDGE. SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS ARE NOT EXPECTED.
SK/MB...SNOW WILL SLOWLY WEAKEN AND SHIFT EAST OVER SOUTHERN MANITOBA
IN THE COMING 24 TO 48 HOURS, WITH FURTHER AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 4 CM IN
WESTMAN AND 4 TO 8 CM IN WEST-CENTRAL MANITOBA SHIFTING EAST AND
PRODUCING ANOTHER 2 TO 4 CM FOR MUCH OF THE REST OF THE PROVINCE
THROUGH THE DAY TODAY. THE EXCEPTION WILL BE FAR NORTHEAST MANITOBA
WHERE THE REINFORCEMENT OF DRY AIR FOR THE HUDSON BAY HIGH WILL KEEP
THE SNOW AWAY.
TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY, A NEW WAVE OF MOISTURE WILL LIFT NORTHWEST
THROUGH ONTARIO AND INTO NORTHERN MANITOBA, BRINGING MORE SNOW FOR
THE WEEKEND. MANY AREAS IN NORTHERN MANITOBA WILL SEE A FURTHER 2 TO
4 CM BY THE END OF SATURDAY, BUT THE HEAVIEST BAND, WHICH CURRENTLY
LOOKS TO RUN FROM ISLAND LAKE TO THOMPSON, COULD PRODUCE AS MUCH AS 5
TO 10 CM.
COLD TEMPERATURES CONTINUE TO SLUMP INTO THE WESTERN AND CENTRAL
PRAIRIES WHILE THE INVERTED TROUGH MAINTAINS AN INTRUSION OF WARMER
TEMPERATURES IN SOUTHERN MANITOBA. AS A RESULT, SPORADIC WIND CHILLS
BELOW -40 WILL REDEVELOP TONIGHT UNDER THE ARCTIC RIDGE IN SOUTHERN
SASKATCHEWAN. WITH LITTLE CHANGE IN THE PATTERN THIS WEEK, EXPECT THE
ABATEMENT OF SEVERE WIND CHILLS DURING THE DAY, THEN REDEVELOPMENT
AGAIN FOR PARTS OF SOUTHERN SASKATCHEWAN TONIGHT.
ARCTIC...COLD WARNINGS CONTINUE FOR MANY SITES IN THE ARCTIC.
THE BOOTHIA PENINSULA LOW IS GIVING INCREASING CLOUD AND LIGHT SNOW
ACROSS THE KIVALLIQ, MELVILLE PENINSULA AND NORTHERN BAFFIN ISLAND.
THIS WILL BRING A 24 TO 36 HOUR REPRIEVE TO THE COLD WARNING LEVEL
WIND CHILLS BUT ANOTHER, MORE FRIGID AIRMASS WILL SWING SOUTHWARD IN
BEHIND THIS SYSTEM ON THE WEEKEND BRINGING A RETURN TO THE COLD
WARNING LEVEL WIND CHILLS. WIND CHILLS WITH THIS NEXT SURGE OF FRIGID
AIR MAY VERY WELL REACH INTO THE MID MINUS 60'S. BRIEF PERIODS OF
REDUCED VISIBILITES IN BLOWING SNOW ARE ALSO FORECAST IN THE WAKE OF
THE LOW.
A SIMILAR REPRIEVE IN THE COLD IS ONGOING TODAY FOR THE EASTERN
KITIKMEOT. TEMPERATURES WILL DROP SHARPLY BEHIND THE DEPARTING LOW,
WITH AIR TEMPERATUES FALLING BELOW MINUS 40 DEGREES CELSIUS AND WIND
CHILLS NEAR MINUS 60 STARTING TONIGHT. BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ARE
FORECAST TO DEVELOP TONIGHT IN GJOA HAVEN AND TALOYOAK AS
NORTHWESTERLY WINDS STRENGTHEN BEHIND THE LOW. KUGARUUK ALSO LOOKS
FAVAOURABLE FOR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS HOWEVER THE AVAILABILITY OF LOOSE
SNOW MAY BE A LIMITING FACTOR. THEY WILL LIKELY BE ADDED TO THE ALERT
LATER TODAY. VISIBILITY HAS ALSO BEEN POORER THAN EXPECTED IN THE
WESTERN KITIKMEOT THIS MORNING, THOUGH THERE IS SOME UNCERTAINTY AS
TO HOW LONG BLIZZARD CONDITIONS WILL LAST HERE.
IN THE NWT, COLD WARNINGS ARE LIKELY TO BE EXPANDED TODAY AS THE COLD
PLUMMETS SOUTHWARD TOWARDS GREAT SLAVE LAKE AND WIND CHILL VALUES
APPROACH ALERT CRITERIA BEGINNING TONIGHT.
TEMPERATURES WILL BEGIN TO IMPROVE IN THE SOUTHERN ARCTIC AND
NORTHERN MANITOBA EARLY NEXT WEEK, BUT THE BITTER COLD WILL STAY
ENTRENCHED OVER NORTHERN BAFFIN ISLAND WELL INTO THE WEEK.
END/CARLSEN/KOKOLSKY/STAUNTON
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