Colleen Bready’s forecast: powerful Alberta clipper brings snow and freezing rain

Colleen Bready has your current conditions and updated weather forecast for Dec. 17, 2025.

A wintry wallop is in progress Wednesday across southern Manitoba.

A powerful Alberta clipper is spreading snow and freezing rain across the region, so be prepared for slippery conditions on roads and highways this afternoon.

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has a variety of weather alerts in effect. The weather agency now colour codes alerts, in part, based on weather impact levels. A yellow warning indicates a moderate impact, while an orange warning denotes a high impact. Red is the most severe.

• Hourly and 7-day forecast on our CTVNewsWinnipeg.ca weather hub

Much of the south, including Brandon and Winnipeg, are under a yellow freezing rain warning and an orange blizzard warning this afternoon. Expect the freezing rain to end later this afternoon as precipitation transitions to snowfall.

The weather agency says blizzard conditions are expected to develop first in the Parkland region Wednesday afternoon, before spreading across the southwest, Interlake and Red River Valley throughout this evening.

ECCC forecasts 10-20 cm of snow, with winds gusts from 70 to 90 km/h.

The Yellowhead and Trans-Canada corridor are in this path. Travel is expected to be dangerous, if not impossible. Highway closures are possible in various places across the south.

ECCC says blizzard conditions are expected to end throughout the day on Thursday from north to south. This will inevitably impact the morning commute, in areas.

Meanwhile, southeastern Manitoba, east of Winnipeg, is under a yellow winter storm warning, where winds aren’t expected to be as high as in the blizzard warned areas. Snowfall amounts are expected to be similar, between 10-20 cm. If the track of the storm changes, the warning could be upgraded in severity.

Further east, storm conditions will extend into northwestern Ontario where a yellow winter storm warning is in effect. Snow mixing with ice pellets are likely to arrive this afternoon. ECCC says 15-30 cm of snow is expected by Thursday night.

Meanwhile, much of northern Manitoba are under a yellow cold warning, where winds chills between -45 and -50 are likely Wednesday into Thursday morning.