Parts of central and northern Manitoba are under a special weather statement as a substantial amount of rain and snow is set to hit the area starting Tuesday, Environment Canada says.
Environment Canada’s special weather statement says a big but slow-moving system of low pressure will start to affect the following regions on Tuesday morning until late Thursday:
- Flin Flon, Cranberry Portage and Snow Lake.
- Lynn Lake, Leaf Rapids and Pukatawagan.
- Norway House, Cross Lake and Wabowden.
- The Pas, Wanless, Westray and Clearwater Lake Provincial Park.
- Thompson, Nelson House and Split Lake.
The precipitation is expected to start as rain on Tuesday before transitioning to snow for most areas on Wednesday, the weather agency says. The snow will continue to fall until late Thursday.
A total of 20 to 40 millimetres of precipitation is anticipated in the affected areas over the next few days, according to Environment Canada.
‘Be prepared for winter conditions’
Although forecasts are becoming clear as to which areas will receive higher rain and snowfalls, uncertainty remains when the rains will turn into accumulations of snow — which can impact individual precipitation amounts, the statement says.
Terri Lang, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, says the temperatures in most of the affected areas are near freezing, which makes outcomes hard to predict, she said.
“Trying to figure out how much of the precipitation is going to fall as rain, how much is going to fall as snow … or how much is going to fall as wet, heavy snow is really difficult,” she told CBC on Monday.
More northerly communities, like Lynn Lake and Thompson, are more likely to receive snowfalls. Communities further south such as The Pas and Norway House will experience the shift of rain to snow, Environment Canada says.
Lang says special weather statements are meant to be eye-catching since they have the potential to upgrade into watches or warnings.
“If [people] have travel plans, or that type of thing, they should be prepared for winter conditions at least, and make sure they keep an eye on the forecast, listen for watches and warnings and to check highway conditions before heading out,” she said.
“This has [the] capacity to be quite an impactful weather system.”
The oncoming weather system has also led the province to issue an overland flood warning in northwestern Manitoba, potentially impacting communities like Flin Flon, Swan River and The Pas.
Spring snowmelt is underway or nearly finished in most southern Manitoba basins, raising water levels. Substantial precipitation on partially frozen ground can lead to overland flooding, Manitoba’s hydrologic forecast centre says.
Starting Tuesday morning, areas of southern and central Manitoba like the Interlake, Whiteshell lakes, Riding Mountain and Duck Mountain may get up to 25 millimetres over the next few days, but the risk of overland flooding depends on the timing and amounts of precipitation.
The fast snowmelt in the upper Assiniboine River basin in Saskatchewan has resulted in high flows along the river. A flood warning issued last week for the Assiniboine River, between the Shellmouth Dam and the city of Brandon, remains in place.
Water levels along that stretch of the Assiniboine River are expected to be over the banks until the first week of May, the province says.
Manitobans are being reminded to stay off of major waterways as high flows, debris and cold water temperatures present a high risk.
The province is also reminding people to stay away from flooded areas, water control structures such as dams and diversions, as well as places where flood response crews are working.
Manitoba’s emergency management organization has been working with all local authorities and partners, including Indigenous Services Canada, to support a possible spring flooding response.