480
FOCN45 CWWG 031900
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER DISCUSSION ISSUED BY THE PRAIRIE AND ARCTIC STORM
PREDICTION CENTRE OF ENVIRONMENT CANADA AT 2:00 PM CDT FRIDAY APRIL
3 2026.
ALERTS IN EFFECT...FOG ADVISORIES FOR PARTS OF ALBERTA.
SYNOPTIC OVERVIEW...ALOFT, AN UPPER LOW IN THE GULF OF ALASKA
FOLLOWED BY SLIGHT UPPER RIDGING OVER NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA AND
YUKON TERRITORY. DEEP UPPER LOW OVER WYOMING AND THE DAKOTAS, AND THE
POLAR VORTEX IS ANCHORED IN DAVIS STRAIT. ZONAL FLOW OVER MUCH OF
CANADA WITH RELATIVELY WEAK FLOW OVER THE SOUTHERN PRAIRIES. POTENT
SHORTWAVE SOUTH OF JAMES BAY.
AT THE SURFACE, A 999 MB LOW IN THE GULF OF ALASKA WITH WARM FRONT
EASTWARD TO A NEW WEAK LOW IN NORTHERN ALBERTA. QUASISTATIONARY FRONT
CONTINUES EASTWARD ACORSS THE NORTHERN PRAIRIES INTO NORTHWESTERN
ONTARIO. A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE STRETCHES FROM THE BEAUFORT SEA TO
HUDSON BAY AND CONTINUES SOUTHEAST TO NEWFOUNDLAND. SLACK FLOW OVER
THE PRAIRIES AND 1003 MB LOW SOUTH OF JAMES BAY. NORTHWEST FLOW OVER
THE HIGH ARCTIC AND BAFFIN ISLAND.
DISCUSSION...
PRAIRIES...A TROUGH ASSOCIATED WITH A WEAK LOW CENTRED OVER NORTHERN
ALBERTA AND SASKATCHEWAN, CONNECTED TO MORE POTENT LOW IN THE
NORTHERN UNITED STATES, CONTINUES TO SPREAD LIGHT SNOW TO PARTS OF
SASKATCHEWAN TODAY. THE SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO WEAKEN AS IT CONTINUES
TO MOVE EASTWARD INTO NORTHERN MANITOBA OVERNIGHT.
IN THE WAKE OF THIS SYSTEM, PATCHY DENSE FOG HAS DEVELOPED, REDUCING
VISIBILITIES IN A NUMBER OF COMMUNITIES. FOG ADVISORIES ARE EXPECTED
TO END BY THIS AFTERNOON.
LOOKING AHEAD TO TONIGHT, A NEW LOW WILL QUICKLY FOLLOW ON THE HEELS
OF THE FIRST, CROSSING ALBERTA TONIGHT AND PUSHING A SECOND WAVE OF
PRECIPITATION INTO SASKATCHEWAN ON SATURDAY. THIS SECOND SYSTEM IS
EXPECTED TO GENERATE MIXED PRECIPITATION, INCLUDING FREEZING RAIN,
AND A NARROW SWATH OF HEAVY SNOW BETWEEN PEACE RIVER AND HIGH LEVEL,
EAST TOWARDS FORT MCMURRAY. SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE HIGHLY
VARIABLE, BUT LOCALIZED AMOUNTS OF 10+ CM UNDER THE HEAVIEST BAND
CANNOT BE RULED OUT. THERE IS ALSO A CHANCE OF FREEZING RAIN IN
SASKATCHEWAN ALONG THE SYSTEMS WARM FRONT BUT DRY PROFILES INDICATE
THAT THE LIKELIHOOD OF IMPACTFUL FREEZING RAIN SHOULDN'T BE AN ISSUE.
WYOMING LOW PUSHES SLOWLY TO THE NORTHEAST AND ITS PRECIPITATION
BEGINS TO IMPACT SOUTHERN MANITOBA ON FRIDAY EVENING BUT ANY
ACCUMULATING AMOUNTS SHOULD BE LIMITED TO NEAR THE U.S. BORDER AND IS
NOT EXPECTED TO BE NEAR WARNING LEVEL.
NT/ARCTIC...NIL SIG WX.
END/CARLSEN/STAUNTON
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