FOCN45 CWWG 041900

SIGNIFICANT WEATHER DISCUSSION ISSUED BY THE PRAIRIE AND ARCTIC STORM

PREDICTION CENTRE OF ENVIRONMENT CANADA AT 2:00 PM CDT MONDAY MAY

4 2026.



ALERTS IN EFFECT...AIR QUALITY WARNING FOR JASPER NATIONAL PARK.



SYNOPTIC OVERVIEW...ALOFT TODAY, AN UPPER HIGH SITS OFF THE COAST OF

BRITISH COLUMBIA, STACKED OVER AN UPPER LOW SITTING OFF THE COAST OF

CALIFORNIA. THIS HIGH OVER LOW SETUP ANCHORS A BROADER BLOCKING

PATTERN THAT WILL PRODUCE LITTLE PROGRESSIVE FLOW ACROSS THE REGION

FOR MUCH OF THIS WEEK. AN UPPER RIDGE EXTENDS NORTH FROM THE UPPER

HIGH ALONG THE NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA COAST AND INTO ALASKA AND

YUKON. TO THE EAST, A LARGE VORTEX SITS OVER EASTERN CANADA WITH

SEVERAL SHORTWAVES/LOWS EMBEDDED WITHIN; A VIGOROUS SHORTWAVE IS

TRACKING EAST ACROSS NORTHERN ONTARIO TOWARDS JAMES BAY, A WEAK

SHORTWAVE IS DROPPING SOUTH THROUGH CENTRAL MANITOBA, AND A DECAYING

LOW SITS OVER CENTRAL HUDSON BAY. FURTHER EAST, AN UPPER LOW SITS

OVER NEWFOUNDLAND WITH A RIDGE DOWNSTREAM OF IT THAT EXTENDS THROUGH

LABRADOR SEA, DAVIS STRAIT, AND BAFFIN ISLAND.



AT THE SURFACE, A 982 MB LOW SITS OVER NW ONTARIO WITH A COLD FRONT

SOUTHWEST INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS OF THE UNITED STATES THAT ARCS

BACK NORTHWEST THROUGH ALBERTA AND INTO THE WESTERN ARCTIC. THIS LOW

HAS A WARM FRONT THAT IS DRAPED EAST-SOUTHEAST ACROSS ONTARIO AND

SOUTHERN QUEBEC. EAST OF THIS, AN OCCLUDED 984 MB LOW SITS OVER

NORTHERN NEWFOUNDLAND. IN THE NORTH, A BROAD AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE

SITS OVER THE HIGH ARCTIC WITH RIDIGNG THAT EXTENDS SOUTH THROUGH THE

CANADIAN ARCTIC ARCHIPELAGO, EASTERN NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

SOUTH THROUGH ALBERTA INTO MONTANA. WEST OF THIS, A 1018 MB LOW SITS

ALONG NWT COAST NEAR PAULATUK.



DISCUSSION...



WESTERN PRAIRIES...NORTHWEST FLOW WILL PERSIST OVER THE REGION TODAY,

WITH A FEW SCATTERED SHOWERS/FLURRIES POSSIBLE OVER THE FOOTHILLS/

ROCKIES AND EASTERN ALBERTA/NORTHERN SASKATCHEWAN.



SMOKE FROM A PRESCRIBED BURN NORTH OF JASPER BROUGHT SOME POOR AIR

QUALITY TO THE TOWNSITE YESTERDAY EVENING. VERY LITTLE SMOKE IS BEING

EMITTED TODAY, HOWEVER IT WILL CONTINUE TO BE CLOSELY MONITORED.



EASTERN PRAIRIES...FLURRIES MIXED WITH RAIN SHOWERS WILL BE POSSIBLE

ACROSS SOUTHERN MANITOBA TODAY AS STRONG NORTHWESTERLY WINDS PERSIST

IN AN UNSTABLE FLOW. NO MAJOR ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED, BUT WIND

GUSTS COULD REACH THE 70-80 KM/H RANGE NEAR THE EDGES OF THESE

SHOWERS.



IN NORTHERN MANITOBA, FLURRIES WILL PERSIST IN A BROAD DECK OF

STRATUS OVER THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS.



WITH A SLOW-MOVING WEATHER PATTERN ACROSS THE REGION, MUCH OF THE

WEEK WILL FEATURE BELOW-SEASONAL TEMPERATURES. THE PATTERN SHOULD

BREAK NEAR THE END OF THE WEEK, ALLOWING SPRING-LIKE CONDITIONS BACK

INTO THE EASTERN PRAIRIES FOR THE WEEKEND AND INTO NEXT WEEK.



NT...A SLOW MOVING TROUGH FROM BANKS ISLAND TO GREAT SLAVE LAKE WILL

BRING SOME LIGHT SNOW TO PARTS OF THE NT TODAY.



ON TUESDAY, A LOW MOVING INTO THE TERRITORY FROM THE YUKON WILL BRING

SOME MODERATE WINDS TO THE CENTRAL MACKENZIE VALLEY AND COMMUNITIES

NEAR GREAT BEAR LAKE.



NU...LIGHT SNOW WILL TAPER OFF OVER PORTIONS OF THE NORTHERN KIVALLIQ

REGION TODAY AS THE PARENT LOW THAT SUPPORTED THEM COLLAPSES OVER

SOUTHWEST HUDSON BAY. THERE WILL BE A SHORT REPRIEVE, THEN ANOTHER

WAVE OF SNOW AND MIXED PRECIPITATION WILL PUSH INTO SOUTHERN BAFFIN

ISLAND ON TUESDAY AS THE NEWFOUNDLAND LOW WRAPS NORTH TOWARDS HUDSON

STRAIT. BRINGING A SURGE OF WARMER AIR WITH IT, PERIODS OF LIGHT SNOW

WILL LIKELY GIVE WAY TO MIXED PRECIPITATION OVER SOUTHERN BAFFIN

ISLAND ON TUESDAY. A NORTH-SOUTH BAND OF LIGHT SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO

PROPAGATE WEST ALONG THIS UPPER LOW'S DEFORMATION ZONE INTO PORTIONS

OF THE KIVALLIQ ON TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY, BUT AGAIN

ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE LOW.



WINDS HAVE EASED ACROSS MUCH OF THE EASTERN ARCTIC, BUT ANOTHER WIND

EVENT WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION WITH THE NEWFOUNDLAND LOW. A STRONG

PRESSURE GRADIENT ALONG ITS NORTHERN FLANK, COUPLED WITH A RIDGE OF

HIGH PRESSURE ALONG THE EASTERN COAST OF THE ISLAND THAT PUSHES DOWN

ALONG THE CUMBERLAND PENINSULA, WILL SUPPORT MODERATE TO STRONG WINDS

ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN BAFFIN ISLAND ON TUESDAY. TOWNSITES WILL

BE SHELTERED FROM MUCH OF THE WORST WINDS, BUT OF CONCERN WILL BE THE

POTENTIAL FOR DOWNSLOPE WIND EVENTS IN IQALUIT (CYFB) AND PANGNIRTUNG

(CYXP) AS STRONG EASTERLIES CROSS THE TERRAIN BARRIERS NEAR THE

TOWNS. BOTH TOWNS COULD SEE WIND GUSTS IN THE 70 TO 90 KM/H RANGE

LATER TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT, THEN CONDITIONS SHOULD

IMPROVE.



WITH THE MILD TEMPERATURES AND LIMITED SNOWFALL, BLOWING SNOW WILL

NOT BE A MAJOR CONCERN.



END/VROLIJK/GERGELY