High winds caused damage across parts of southern Manitoba on the long weekend.

Sunday night and Monday, winds downed tree branches across Winnipeg and in the Interlake region. High swells were also reported on Lake Winnipeg.

Environment Canada issued wind warnings for southern Interlake areas of Manitoba including: Winnipeg, Grand Beach, Winkler, Portage la Prairie, Gimli and Steinbach.

They were warning people of extremely powerful northwest winds that could reach up to 100 km/h Monday afternoon. Interlake areas where winds blow onshore from Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba, were told to expect even stronger gusts to 120 km/h.

Environment Canada said high winds can cause significant damage to buildings, parks and forests. They can cause downed trees and toss loose objects.

In Elie, Manitoba, about 47 km west of Winnipeg, an advance polling station was forced to change locations after the roof was torn off as a result of the strong winds Sunday night.

The poll, which was at the Elie Veterans Hall, has been moved to the Elie Community Centre, just across the street at 23 Main Street.  

On Monday morning, the City of Winnipeg has sent two crews out to clean up fallen trees and branches.

The city said it received 21 reports related to damaged trees.

City crews were working to clear branches and tress of streets and sidewalks.

The high winds are making it too dangerous for crews to go up in the bucket and trim branches or remove them from power lines.

Manitoba Hydro said they have received extremely high call volumes, Monday, due to weather.

They said they are working to restore power to several area including numerous outages in Interlake and beaches east of Lake Winnipeg.

They said Sanford, St. Norbert and Richmond West outages are all related. There is no estimate on how long it will take to restore power.

Manitoba Hydro said if you see a power line on ground, keep yourself and others away from it and notify them as soon as possible. Power outages can be reported online on Manitoba Hydro’s website.