Colleen Bready's forecast: Snow falling in the southern Red River Valley

Snow from an Alberta clipper that’s been racing across southern Manitoba since late Wednesday is now falling in the southern Red River Valley.

That’s where Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has a snowfall warning in effect Wednesday afternoon. Areas closer to the border could see as much as 10 cm of total accumulation, with lesser amounts near Winnipeg.

Snow arrived very early this morning in the city. By the noon hour, there was drifting snow caught up in strong and gusting northeast winds.

ECCC said 10-20 cm of snow fell in a narrow band from Swift Current to Estevan in Saskatchewan.

As of 4 a.m., the weather agency said eight cm of snow had fallen in Brandon.

As the snow crossed southern Manitoba overnight, temperatures rose. Daytime highs this afternoon will reach the mid-minus teens, bringing a brief reprieve from the frigid cold – emphasis on brief.

The low itself is in North Dakota, where snow continues to fall in Grand Forks and Fargo along the Interstate 29 (I-29) highway, if you have any travel plans today. As the snow exits North Dakota, it will move into Minnesota, where it is already falling.

Much of northern Manitoba will enjoy sunshine or a mix of sun and clouds this afternoon. Forecast daytime highs for most areas are -20 C.

A ridge of high pressure will take hold over Manitoba as the sky clears over the south tonight. Temperatures will drop to the mid to upper -20s overnight. In the north, lows will drop slightly further into the low -30s.

The tradeoff is that sunshine will return on Friday. Winnipeg’s forecast high is -19 C.

Then a warming trend begins on Saturday that will continue through Christmas.

By Christmas Eve on Tuesday, the forecast high for Winnipeg is -4 C and a balmy 2 C on Christmas Day on Wednesday.