An overnight storm system left up to 57 mm of rain in some communities while others saw wind speeds of nearly 100 km/h, and a Winnipeg meteorologist says more extreme weather may be on the way.
Storm season is in full swing, Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist Natalie Hasell told CTV News Monday.
She said after a dry spell around parts of the region and this weekend’s thunderstorm activity, Manitobans should prepare for the potential of more severe weather.
“This time of year is the peak,” Hasell said.
“Now that we're actually seeing precipitation, we have more a local source of moisture that's a little bit more significant, we could see storms that could be bigger again.”
A wide swatch of the province was affected by storms that began Sunday night and ended Monday morning. Environment and Climate Change Canada said 57 mm of rain fell at Ewart Lake in east-central Manitoba, while wind speeds reached 98 km/h in the south in the Cypress River area.
The agency said between 20 and 37 millimeters fell in Winnipeg on Sunday, as some isolated pockets of the city received more rain than others.
The weekend’s weather resulted in power outages, flooded streets, broken trees and branches. A City of Winnipeg spokesperson said the city attended to 134 service calls on Sunday and Monday.
Hasell says lightning, which has been named as the possible cause to a fire in Elmwood Monday morning, should be everyone’s biggest concern.
“We actually have so many thunderstorms where lightning is our greatest threat in the summer.”
