Topsy-turvy temps throw Manitoba curveball

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This article was published 13/05/2025 (319 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WINNIPEG — James Katsabanis calls it the curse of the May long weekend.

When the owner of the Debonair Campground in St. Malo checked the forecast, he said he wasn’t surprised to learn the scorching temperatures in the early part of the week will give way to unseasonably cold temps on the weekend. Today has a forecast high of 35 C, while Saturday’s high is expected to be 11 C. The normal high is 19 C. Saturday’s low is 2 C, which will be chilly for campers.

“I wasn’t surprised at all … I always expect some cancellations right before May long,” he said with a laugh Monday.

Debonair, which offers casual and seasonal campsites in the rural municipality of De Salaberry, opened April 18 after a slow start to the season. While some of his clientele, many older people, left a little earlier than yesterday to beat the heat, he’s not too worried about the wild weather ahead.

He describes about 70 per cent of campers as “gung ho” enthusiasts who show up, rain or shine or anything, for that matter.

“They know what to expect,” he said. “They’ve been waiting all winter to get in here, so they’ll be here no matter what.”

Manitoba is currently in the warm area of a southern low-pressure system that has pushed very hot air from the U.S. northward, bringing heat in some regions until Thursday. A cold front will sweep in Thursday night.

“It will feel kind of abrupt. We don’t normally have these temperatures at this time of year, so the shift from (hot) to very cool is not a typical occurrence,” said Natalie Hasell of Environment and Climate Change Canada.

“However, it is a situation that makes sense meteorologically, perhaps unfortunately, because the shift is abrupt and it’s going to be quite a quite a shock to the system.”

Showers are in the forecast Friday. If it continues to rain when the overnight low hits 1 C, there could be an unwelcome surprise.

“We’re in the right temperature range (where) it could easily be freezing rain for some places.”

For now, however, chilly temperatures may seem far away, as much of the weekend was spent breaking heat records across Manitoba.

On Sunday, records were broken in Altona, Deerwood, Emerson, Melita, Pilot Mound, Portage la Prairie, Sprague and Steinbach.

The oldest records broken were in Pilot Mound and Melita, which hit 35.4 C and 33.7 C, respectively and both broke records from 1940. The most recent record broken was from 2024, when Emerson hit 30.9 C, but easily shattered that record by reaching 37.8 C Sunday.

Not having air conditioning during a heat warning could be dangerous, particularly for vulnerable people, said Hasell.

“While everyone is affected by the heat, you have people who are more susceptible. These include older adults, infants and young children, people with chronic illnesses, people who are unable to keep their living space cool, so they have a home, but they can’t afford air conditioning, for instance, (and) the internal temperature could become a problem,” she said.

People should be on the lookout for signs that someone is reacting negatively to the heat, she said.

“If they’re suffering any symptoms, get them the help they need,” she said. “Be the good neighbour.”

» Winnipeg Free Press