FOCN45 CWWG 211900

SIGNIFICANT WEATHER DISCUSSION ISSUED BY THE PRAIRIE AND ARCTIC STORM

PREDICTION CENTRE OF ENVIRONMENT CANADA AT 2:00 PM CDT SATURDAY MARCH

21 2026.



ALERTS IN EFFECT...SNOWFALL WARNING FOR SOUTHWESTERN MANTIOBA.

FREEZING RAIN WARNING FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWESTERN MANITOBA. BLIZZARD

WARNINGS FOR TUKTOYUKTUK AND KUGLUKTUK. COLD WARNING FOR SACHS

HARBOUR.



SYNOPTIC OVERVIEW...



ALOFT, AN UPPER LOW SITS OVER THE GULF OF ALASKA WITH A FLATTENING

RIDGE TO THE EAST EXTENDING NORTHWARD OVER NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA

INTO SOUTHERN YUKON. SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW DOMINATES SOUTHERN BC INTO

SOUTHERN ALBERTA, THEN VEERS WESTERLY AND BECOMES NORTHWESTERLY OVER

THE EASTERN PRAIRIES ATOP A BROAD RIDGE OVER THE SOUTHERN U.S.

TWO UPPER LOWS ARE OVER THE ARCTIC, ONE NEAR VICTORIA ISLAND AND

ANOTHER OVER DAVIS STRAIT, WHILE A LARGE UPPER TROUGH STRETCHES FROM

QUEBEC INTO THE EASTERN U.S.



AT THE SURFACE, A 995 MB LOW IS OVER THE GULF OF ALASKA WITH A NEARBY

998 MB LOW TO ITS SOUTH. A RIDGE FROM THE EASTERN PACIFIC BUILDS INTO

CENTRAL BC AND REACHES NORTHWARD TO A 1038 MB HIGH OVER NORTHERN

YUKON; RIDGING EXTENDS SOUTHWEST FROM THAT HIGH INTO THE NORTHERN

PRAIRIES, NORTHWEST ONTARIO, AND TOWARD THE GREAT LAKES. A 1001 MB

LOW HAS MOVED OUT OF THE SOUTHERN PRAIRIES AND NOW LIES OVER EASTERN

NORTH DAKOTA/NORTHERN MINNESOTA. ADDITIONAL LOWS OF 1006 MB ARE

LOCATED N EAR VICTORIA ISLAND AND OFF NOVA SCOTIA, WHILE A 1022 MB

HIGH SITS NORTHEAST OF NEWFOUNDLAND.



AB/NRN SK...HEAVY SNOWFALL IS SLOWLY WINDING DOWN OVER SOUTHERN

ALBERTA. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS FOR AREAS IN THE MOUNTAIN PARKS AND NEAR

THE ROCKIES HAVE RANGED GREATLY, GENERALLY BETWEEN 1-5 CM WITH THE

EXCEPTION OF HIGHER TERRAIN WHERE UPWARDS OF 5-8 CM HAVE BEEN

REPORTED. AS THIS SYSTEM MOVES OFF, GENERALLY UNSTABLE AIR WILL

REMAIN IN BEHIND. THIS COUPLED WITH A WEAK TROF MAY GENERATE SOME

LOCALIZED FLURRIES THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT, HOWEVER SNOWFALL

AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE MINIMAL. NORTHERN SASKATCHEWAN WILL

REMAIN GENERALLY QUIET TODAY AND TONIGHT.



SRN SK/MB...IMPULSE CONTINUING ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PRAIRIES IS

PRODUCING ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL, ALONG WITH SOME RAIN SHOWERS, PATCHY

FREEZING DRIZZLE, AND FREEZING RAIN IN SOUTHERN SASKATCHEWAN AND

MANITOBA EARLY THIS MORNING. EXPECTED SNOWFALL TOTALS RANGE FROM 5 TO

10 CM, WITH HIGHER AMOUNTS LIKELY IN ELEVATED AREAS DUE TO SUBTLE

ISENTROPIC ASCENT AND UPSLOPE FLOW. THIS WINTRY MIX OF PRECIPITATION

IS EXPECTED TO DIMINISH BY THIS EVENING AS THE SYSTEM EXITS THE

REGION. FOLLOWING THIS, COOLER TEMPERATURES WILL SETTLE OVER THE

SOUTHERN PRAIRIES, CAUSING ANY LIQUID PRECIPITATION TO FREEZE AND

CREATING POTENTIALLY SLIPPERY CONDITIONS ON SURFACES.



LOOKING AHEAD, ANOTHER DISTURBANCE IS FORECAST TO PASS THROUGH THE

PRAIRIES SUNDAY INTO MONDAY, BRINGING A FURTHER WINTRY MIX OF

PRECIPITATION TO THE PRAIRIES; HOWEVER, NO WARNINGS ARE EXPECTED AT

THIS TIME.



BAFFIN ISLAND/KIVALLIQ...TODAY WILL REMAIN QUIET, BUT THE LOW

PRESSURE SYSTEM NEAR VICTORIA ISLAND IS EXPECTED TO WEAKEN AS IT

DRIFTS SOUTH TOWARD KIVALLIQ, STARTING TO AFFECT THE AREA TONIGHT

INTO SUNDAY. THIS LOW WILL CONTINUE MOVING TOWARD SOUTHERN BAFFIN

ISLAND, BRINGING LIGHT, ACCUMULATING SNOW. A GRADIENT WILL DEVELOP

OVER KIVALLIQ ON SUNDAY, WITH A BUILDING HIGH OVER THE NORTHWEST

TERRITORIES, WHICH MAY RESULT IN BLOWING SNOW IN THE REGION.

CURRENTLY, THE IMPACT S APPEAR TO BE MINIMAL, AND WIDESPREAD WARNINGS

ARE NOT ANTICIPATED; HOWEVER, BLOWING SNOW WILL BE INCLUDED IN PUBLIC

FORECASTS.



FOLLOWING THIS SYSTEM, COLD WIND CHILLS ARE EXPECTED TO RETURN TO THE

KIVALLIQ AND PARTS OF NORTHERN BAFFIN ISLAND, POTENTIALLY LEADING TO

COLD WEATHER WARNINGS BY THE END OF THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT

WEEK.



WESTERN ARCTIC...BLIZZARD OR NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS CONTINUE FOR

TUKTOYAKTUK AND KUGLUKTUK. THE END TIMES FOR EACH STILL LOOK TO BE

THIS AFTERNOON, HOWEVER BLOWING SNOW IS LIKELY TO CONTINUE FOR THE

SITES INTO THIS EVENING. BLOWING SNOW HAS ALSO BEEN OBSERVED OVER

THE MACKENZIE DELTA THIS MORNING. THIS TOO SHOULD END BY THIS

AFTERNOON AS WINDS GRADUALLY EASE.



A COLD WARNING WAS ISSUED THIS MORNING FOR SACHS HARBOUR AFTER

THEIR WINDS INCREASED TO A POINT WHERE WIND CHILLS OF MINUS 55 WERE

OBSERVED. TEMPERATURES WILL MODERATE SLIGHTLY THIS AFTERNOON BUT

WIND CHILLS NEAR -50 MAY CONTINUE INTO TONIGHT.



HIGH ARCTIC...NO SIGNIFICANT WEATHER.



END/KOKOLSKY/CARLSEN/PIMISKERN