Saskatchewan screamer? Manitoba mauler? Prairie storm names explained

Last week, fresh off a December trip to B.C., I made the case that West Coast winter is essentially one long, damp sigh. I reaffirmed my Prairie allegiance: give me a sunny minus 30 day over Vancouver’s moody drizzle any time. More sun, fewer umbrellas, and better skies for squinting into the distance.

Well. Consider this week the sequel.

Because while Saskatchewan and Manitoba may bask in more sunshine than most of the country, winter still likes to remind us who’s in charge. Enter the Alberta clipper hitting us this week.

These storms don’t linger like coastal rain; they sprint. An Alberta clipper is winter’s version of a hit-and-run.

One minute the sky is bright and calm; the next, the temperature has dropped 15 degrees. When I was out and about this morning in Winnipeg, it was 6 C. A few hours later, it was −8 C.

Born just east of the Rocky Mountains, Alberta clippers are fast-moving low-pressure systems that rip across the Prairies and beyond in two or three days, earning their name from 19th-century clipper ships, among the fastest vessels of their time.

These systems don’t usually bring huge snow totals, think a quick five to 10 cm in a few hours, because their relative lack of moisture and rapid movement inhibit substantial snowfall. However, totals can exceed 15 cm if there is more moisture available, slower system movement, and colder temperatures.

Winds can gust up to 70 km/h causing visibility to deteriorate quickly, especially in open areas. That kind of wind chill can make a person question why humans ever settled here voluntarily.

The clipper’s origin story is peak Prairie meteorology: warm Pacific air slams into the mountains, spills down the other side as a chinook in Alberta, then collides with the cold air parked over the Prairies. From there, the storm hops on the jet stream and sprints east-southeast, dragging a biting cold front behind it. 

If the system crosses the U.S. border at Saskatchewan, it’s no longer called an Alberta clipper but a Saskatchewan Screamer. Cross at Manitoba, and it becomes a Manitoba Mauler.

These systems are common in winter, especially in December and January, though they can also occur in the fall and spring.

They usually form five to 20 times per season, which means this week’s Alberta clipper is unlikely to be the last. 

Consider it winter’s way of keeping us alert, humble, and very aware of where we left our toque and mitts.

Bundle up, watch the roads, and remember: this, too, shall pass.