Return of snow to southern Manitoba closes long stretch of Highway 1 west of Headingley

It's been running a bit behind schedule, but winter weather looks like it's finally arriving in Manitoba.

And with that weather comes highway closures.

Highway 1 in both directions from Highway 21 to Headingleywas closed Friday night. That stretch of the Trans-Canada covers more than220 kilometres, including the main approaches to Brandon from the east and west.

Snowfall warnings are in place for part of southern ManitobaFriday nightin the Rural Municipalityof Argyle includingBaldur Glenora and Greenway,with 10-15 centimetresexpected, according to Environment Canada.

The totalaccumulations across the province will vary because some areas have experienced spring-like weather over the past couple of days, which means the ground is still warm enough to cause some melting, Environment Canada said.

Seven communities around the province set records fornew daytime highs on Wednesday. Winnipeg hit 7 C that day but didn't set a record.

It did, however, make a mark in the record books on Thursday, when it reached a high of8.6 C. The old record of 5 C was set in 1939. The normal high for this time of year is9 C.

There havebeen shovel-worthy snowfalls already this season, including one just before Halloween, but the temperatures haverebounded every time to melt it away.

Winnipeg isn't under the current snowfall warning but the forecast is for a shift from the warmth.

Temperatures were expected to fall through with the day on Friday, withperiods of rainchanging to freezing rain and then snow.

The city could see up to five centimetres of snow, but it's the cold northwest wind that will really be felt. Gusts of up to50 km/h are expected in the morning and then70 km/h in the afternoon, creating a wind chill of 11.

Daytime highs closer to the normal for this time of year are forecastto follow in the days ahead.