A meteorologist says parts of southern Manitoba could be hit with the season’s biggest snow event so far this weekend.

Scott Kehler of Weatherlogics says they are tracking an Alberta Clipper that will be moving across the prairies starting Saturday. He notes the system will deliver snow to southeastern Manitoba starting Sunday.

According to Kehler, a narrow strip of heavy snowfall is expected from Parkland to the Interlake, which then only cuts off the southeast. He expects most of the snow will fall from Dauphin into the Interlake and then into the northern Whiteshell. Kehler points out that areas with the largest accumulations could see 10 to 20 centimeters of snow, although he says he wouldn’t be surprised if totals were even higher.

But the further south you go, the lower the total snowfall will be. Kehler says that Steinbach can expect five to ten centimeters of snow.

“There is still a certain amount of uncertainty on the track,” adds Kehler. “A minor change in route would change these amounts.”

He says if the system moves a little further south, it could pull Steinbach into that narrow band of heavy snowfall.

Snow isn’t the only form of precipitation we could see this weekend. Kehler says the system will push some warm air through the region on Sunday, which could lead to a brief period of freezing rain or ice pellets. However, this could lead to lower snowfall amounts.

According to Kehler, it is highly unlikely that this system will completely miss southeastern Manitoba as of Friday afternoon.

Kehler says one of the characteristics of an Alberta Clipper is that it moves intensely, but quickly. He says most of the snow will fall by Monday morning. However, he cautions that southern Manitoba will continue to feel the impacts as it will become quite windy and much colder as the system moves away.

“Saturday/Sunday we will both have highs around zero,” he says. “But once the Alberta Clipper passes by, it’s going to pull a really cold arctic air mass down, so we’ll be back in the winter cold for most of next week.”