Manitoba is in for a wet weekend. A low pressure system moving over the Dakotas could bring as much as 70 millimetres of rain in some places by Sunday afternoon, Environment Canada reports.
This weather system also brings the threat of thunderstorms Saturday afternoon and into the evening. A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect for much Saturday in south central and southeast Manitoba, including Winnipeg and cottage country. That sever thunderstorm warning ended around 6:00 p.m.
Environment Canada issued rainfall warnings for southwest Manitoba, saying 30 to 50 millimetres of rain could fall by Sunday afternoon. Local rainfall amounts could reach as high as 70 millimeters. Dauphin, which is hosting Countryfest this weekend, could get 75 millimetres.
Environment Canada also issued a gale wind warning for Lake Winnipeg, Lake Manitoba, and Lake of the Woods. They say winds on Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba could reach speeds between 40 and 55 km/h.
A severe thunderstorm watch is also in place for northwest Ontario, including Kenora, Dryden, and Fort Frances.
The La Salle River washed out a bridge on Waverly Road south of Winnipeg, but that wasn’t enough to keep Jay Anderson from fishing.
"You'll find it this high in the springtime after the snow melts, but usually when you're talking end of June or early July, it's usually not this high, so this is a little more unusual than what I'm used to," he said.
The City of Winnipeg says no basements have flooded yet, but residents have called in to report plugged catch basins around the city, 17 in total. The plugged catch basins aren't concentrated in any one particular area, city spokesperson Michelle Finley told CTV News.
Thanks to raised beds, Zola May's family garden has an abundance of fresh vegetables. But all the soggy spring weather has likely rained out any chance her small farm had of growing enough produce to sell at farmers markets.
“It's probably three-quarters of the area that we have planted, so, it's a significant area that we were going to be using," she said.
Thanks to all the rain we've had so far this spring and summer, Aurora Farms has had to close off one entire pasture, severely limiting the amount of space the 17 horses living there.One horse has to be kept indoors so scrapes on her legs don't get infected.
Torrential rains kept crowds small at the St. Norbert Farmers Market Saturday, and the water woes have impacted the number of vendors on-hand as well.
"Some of them are not even here yet, because they don't have enough product to bring,” said executive director Marilyn Firth.“Some are coming, but they have less product and variety than they would normally have."
Due to damage from the rain, Selkirk RCMP do not have phone service. RCMP say residents should call 911 for emergencies and 204- 983-5462 for non-emergencies while phone service is down.
The rains have also played havoc with fire alarms in Winnipeg. The Winnipeg Fire Department says they responded to about two dozen false alarmscaused by wet weather. The department says humidity can set off alarms.
According to provincial government officials, water levels on both the Red and Assiniboine rivers also remain higher than they would like.
The province says the Red River floodway could be operated soon, to reduce the risk of basement flooding in Winnipeg.
- With a report by Ben Miljure
