Parts of southwestern Manitoba ravaged by severe thunderstorm

People living in southwestern parts of the province are assessing damage this morning after an intense storm system passed through overnight.

In Foxwarren, Man. – 300 kilometres west of Winnipeg – strong winds completely ripped off a large section of the community arena’s roof. Photos taken by area residents show pieces scattered nearby and puddles of water inside the rink.

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Puddles and debris were scatted inside the Foxwarren Arena on Aug. 25, 2024. (Danny Johnston)

Other properties and homes were also damaged by fallen trees.

In a post on X, the province announced that all lanes are closed at the Foxwarren access road along Highway 475 due to debris on the road.

Part of the roof of the arena in Foxwarren, Man., was ripped off after a severe thunderstorm swept through southwestern Manitoba. (Danny Johnston)

According to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), the thunderstorm began in Montana before making its way north. It developed into a bow echo storm – which appears on a radar in the shape of an archer’s bow and can produce very strong winds. It swept through southeastern Saskatchewan and into southwestern Manitoba, hitting the western side of Riding Mountain National Park near St. Lazare and Foxwarren up to Dauphin.

“The strongest gust we recorded so far was 106 kilometres an hour in St. Lazare,” said ECCC meteorologist Kyle Ziolkowski, but he added that the winds may have been even more powerful.

“No signs of a tornado as of yet, or reports of it,” Ziolkowski said. “What we’ve seen from radar didn't appear like there was any tornadic circulations in the storm, so it just looked like wide swath of wind damage.”

The Interlake region was also impacted by the storm, with Gypsumville seeing more than 100 millimetres of rainfall last night.

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“And then, of course, they have the storm that goes through again this morning that's produced even more for them,” Ziolkowski said. “So it's definitely not a good situation going on up there.”

The storm also knocked out power for thousands of customers.

According to Manitoba Hydro’s outage map, power is out for people living in St. Lazare all the way to Roblin. It’s not clear when it will be restored. 

‘It is a heartbreak’

Natascha Kitchur and her family live just outside of Gypsumville, near St. Martin, Man. In an interview with CTV News, Kitchur said the rain washed her fields out completely, and a creek that was more than 30 metres from her house is now just steps from her front door.

Rain fell hard on the province's Interlake region, with some areas seeing more than 100 millimetres of rainfall. (Natascha Kitchur)

“Our creek, which was bone dry last night when we went to bed, completely over-flooded our yard, which is normal for springtime, but not end of summer,” she said.

“My entire garden crop is completely gone … we have hay bales that are basically floating in water. We have hay that has been cut and it is sitting underwater. We have grain that we have seeded and it has now gone to the water.”

Kitchur said it’ll be at least a few days before the water levels recede enough to really assess the damage done.

“It is a heartbreak,” she said. “It is literally a stab in the heart for farmers, because that’s your livelihood.”

Water flooded fields near St. Martin, Man., after a severe thunderstorm swept through the area on Aug. 24 and 25, 2024. (Natascha Kitchur)

Kitchur said the community is waiting to hear from the RM for next steps. In the meantime, her family is trying to make the best of a soggy situation.

“My kids have been kayaking in the water. The dogs are loving it. There's really nothing we can do, because Mother Nature is just doing her thing,” she said.

Future forecast

Ziolkowski said more severe thunderstorms are possible for Sunday.

“It’s a little bit uncertain at this point in time,” he said. “So it’s kind of a like, look out and watch out kind of thing.”

He also added that Sunday is the last humid day for southern Manitoba.

“For the rest of the week, it looks like we’re going to dry out and things are going to be settled for the early part of the week,” Ziolkowski said.