FOCN45 CWWG 241900
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER DISCUSSION ISSUED BY THE PRAIRIE AND ARCTIC STORM
PREDICTION CENTRE OF ENVIRONMENT CANADA AT 2:00 PM CDT SATURDAY
OCTOBER 24 2026.

ALERTS IN EFFECT...SNOWFALL WARNINGS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEASTERN
ALBERTA AND NORTHERN SASKATCHEWAN. WINTER STORM WARNING FOR PORTIONS
OF NORTHEASTERN SASKATCHEWAN, NORTHWESTERN MANITOBA, AND ARVIAT.
FOG ADVISORY FOR THE CENTRAL MACKENZIE VALLEY. WIND WARNING FOR A
PART OF SOUTHWESTERN MANITOBA.

SYNOPTIC OVERVIEW...ALOFT TODAY, A VIGOROUS UPPER LOW SITS OVER
CENTRAL SASKATCHEWAN WITH A TROUGH WEST INTO ALBERTA, THEN SOUTHWEST
TO A DIGGING UPPER LOW OFF THE COAST OF VANCOUVER ISLAND. AN UPPER
RIDGE EXTENDS FROM THE AMERICAN MID-WEST NORTH INTO ONTARIO, THEN
CURLS ACROSS HUDSON BAY INTO SOUTHERN NUNAVUT. IN THE NORTH, AN UPPER
LOW SITS OVER THE CENTRAL CANADIAN ARCTIC ARCHIPELAGO WITH AN UPPER
TROUGH SOUTHWEST TO NORTHERN ALBERTA. LASTLY, AN UPPER HIGH OVER THE
EASTERN PACIFIC EXTENDS AN UPPER RIDGE NORTH OVER ALASKA AND YUKON.

AT THE SURFACE, A 987 MB LOW SITS OVER NORTHERN MANITOBA WITH AN
OCCLUDED FRONTAL BOUNDARY TO ITS EAST NEAR GILLAM THAT HAS A COLD
FRONT DROPPING SOUTH INTO MINNESOTA AND A WARM FRONT DRAPED
EAST-SOUTHEAST NEAR THE HUDSON BAY COASTLINE. IN THE NORTH, A 995 MB
LOW SITS OFF THE SOUTHERN TIP OF GREENLAND WITH A COLD FRONT THAT
SWEEPS SOUTHWEST TO THE UNGAVA PENINSULA, THEN RUNS WEST ACROSS
HUDSON BAY INTO SOUTHERN NUNAVUT. IN THE WEST, A 1037 MB HIGH SITS
ALONG THE YUKON/NORTHWEST TERRITORIES BORDER WITH RIDGING
SOUTH-SOUTHEAST INTO WESTERN ALBERTA, EVENTUALLY CONNECTING TO A 1031
MB HIGH IN THE NORTHERN PLAINS OF THE UNITED STATES. A BROAD 1034 MB
HIGH SITS ALONG THE EASTERN SEABOARD OF THE UNITED STATES WITH
RIDGING NORTH INTO QUAİBEC WHILE A 1010 MB LOW DIGS SOUTHWEST OFF THE
COAST OF VANCOUVER ISLAND.

DISCUSSION...

AB/NRN SK...LOW NEAR THE PAS WILL CONTINUE TO DEEPEN TODAY AS IT
MOVES NORTHEASTWARD. HEAVY SNOW CONTINUES TO AFFECT WARNED AREAS
TODAY. SOG HAS INCREASED TO 20 NORTH OF FORT MCMURRAY, AND NUMEROUS
ACCIDENTS AND TRAVEL DELAYS ARE BEING REPORTED ON HIGHWAY 63.
TOTAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS HAVE BEEN INCREASED TO 20 TO 30 CM. WOLLISTON
LAKE-COLLINS BAY HAS SEEN 39 MM WATER EQUIVALENT IN WELL UNDER 24
HOURS, JUSTIFYING AN INCREASE IN THE FORECAST STORM TOTALS TO 40 TO
60 CM AND AN UPGRADE IN THE ALERT TO ORANGE. OTHER SITES ARE MOSTLY
ON TRACK FOR SNOWFALL AMOUNTS AND IMPACTS.

SNOW WILL SLOWLY PULL OUT OF NORTHERN AB AND SK THIS EVENING AND
OVERNIGHT, RESPECTIVELY. GUSTY WINDS UP TO 70 KM/H MAY ALSO BE A
FACTOR AND CAUSE LOCALIZED BLOWING SNOW. DRIFTING IS NOTED ON SOME
SASKATCHEWAN WEBCAMS.

EASTERN PRAIRIES...THE COLORADO LOW NOW SITS OVER NORTHWEST MANITOBA
WITH ITS OCCLUDED FRONTAL WAVE TO THE EAST NEAR THE SHAMATTAWA
REGION. PRECIPITATION HAS COME TO AN END OVER THE SOUTHERN PRAIRIES,
BUT A MIX OF RAIN, SNOW, AND MIXED-PHASE PRECIPITATION CONTINUES OVER
PORTIONS OF NORTHERN MANITOBA. WIND WARNINGS HAVE BEEN ENDED ACROSS
SASKATCHEWAN WHILE WIND WARNINGS IN THE LEE OF THE RIDING MOUNTAINS
IN SOUTHERN MANITOBA ARE EXPECTED TO BE ENDED EARLY THIS AFTERNOON.
SPORADIC WIND GUSTS IN THE 90 TO 100 KM/H HAVE BEEN OBSERVED OVER
PARTS OF SOUTHERN SASKATCHEWAN AND WESTERN MANITOBA THIS MORNING.
WINDS SHOULD GRADUALLY SUBSIDE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PRAIRIES THIS
AFTERNOON. IN THE NORTH, WINDS CONTINUE TO STRENGTHEN IN CHURCHILL
(CYYQ) WHERE EASTERLY GUSTS HAVE EXCEEDED 90 KM/H AND WILL CONTINUE
TO STRENGTHEN AFTER SHIFTING NORTHERLY THIS EVENING. GUSTS IN THE 100
TO 110 KM/H ARE LIKELY OVERNIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING.

FREEZING RAIN HAS ENDED IN LYNN LAKE AND SHIFTED EAST-NORTHEAST.
CHURCHILL (CYYQ) HAS BEEN REPORTING A MIX OF RAIN, SNOW, AND ICE
PELLETS SUGGESTING THE FREEZING RAIN IS LIKELY IN THE GENERAL
VICINITY, BUT ALL AREAS SHOULD BEGIN TO TRANSITION TO SNOW THROUGH
THE AFTERNOON AS COLDER AIR BEGINS TO INJECT INTO THE REGION.
SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL IS STILL EXPECTED ACROSS THE REGION WITH
SNOWFALL AND WINTER STORM WARNINGS CONTINUING. FOR CHURCHILL, MUCH OF
THE EMPAHSIS IN THE WARNING IS FOR THE VERY STRONG WINDS EXPECTED.

CONDITIONS WILL BEING TO IMPROVE ON SUNDAY AS THE SYSTEM EXITS THE
REGION.

NT...FOG CONTINUES TO REST OVER THE MACKENZIE RIVER AT ISSUE TIME.
IT'S FORECAST, AND CLIMATOLOGY SUGGESTS, THAT IT WILL DISSIPATE EARLY
THIS AFTERNOON, PERSISTANCE SUGGESTS IT SHOULD IN AN HOUR OR TWO, AND
GUIDANCE DOESN'T SUGGEST IT COMING BACK TONIGHT. HOWEVER, FOG STILL
LOOKS RATHER DENSE ON SATELLITE AND OBSERVATIONS AT THE MOMENT AND
HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN IN THE AREA, SO THIS MIGHT WARRANT SOME
RE-EVALUATION.

EASTERN ARCTIC...ARVIAT WILL ALSO RECEIVE SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL AND
WIND WITH THIS SYSTEM. SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW WILL BEGIN EARLY THIS
AFTERNOON AS THE PRECIPITATION MOVES INTO THE REGION AND EASTERLY
WINDS STRENGTHEN TO 70 GUSTING 90 KM/H BY EVENING. SNOW WILL CONTINUE
OVERNIGHT WITH STORM-TOTAL AMOUNTS OF 15 TO 25 CM POSSIBLE. THE WIND
WILL CONTINUE TO STRENGTHEN TONIGHT WITH GUSTS INTO THE 100 TO
110 KM/H RANGE POSSIBLE. THE HEAVY SNOW AND WIND WILL LIKELY RESULT
IN NEAR-BLIZZARD CONDITIONS DESPITE COMPARATIVELY MILD TEMPERATURES
TO THE TYPICAL CONCERN.

ELSEWHERE, THE LOWS OVER BAFFIN ISLAND CONTINUES TO PUSH SNOW, GUSTY
WINDS AND RESULTING BLOWING SNOW THROUGH NORTHERN BAFFIN ISLAND.
NO NOTABLE ACCUMULATIONS ARE FORECAST. TEMPERATURES CONTINUE TO BE
MILD, WHICH REDUCES THE CONCERN REGARDING VISIBILITY REDUCTION
IMPACTS WITH BLOWING SNOW. THERE WILL LIKELY BE BLOWING SNOW AT
TIMES, PARTICULARLY IN FALLING SNOW, BUT MESSAGING IS NOT EXPECTED TO
BE NEEDED.

CONDITIONS WILL BEING TO IMPROVE IN THE KIVALLIQ ON SUNDAY AS THE
COLORADO LOW EXITS THE REGION, BUT IT WILL BEGIN TO IMPACT SOUTHERN
BAFFIN ISLAND. IT WILL BE LOSING ITS MOISTURE SUPPLY AND THE
OCCLUSION PROCESS WILL BE PROGRESSING, SO THE IMPACTS ARE NOT
EXPECTED TO BE NEARLY AS SIGNIFICANT AS IN MANITOBA AND SOUTHERN
NUNAVUT. A FEW CENTIMETRES OF SNOW ARE POSSIBLE OVER SOUTHERN BAFFIN
ISLAND ON SUNDAY, ALONG WITH SOME GUSTY WINDS LATER SUNDAY INTO THE
NIGHT.

END/VROLIJK/BATE