Rainwatchers from across the Pembina and Red River Valleys reported significant totals from Tuesday's severe thunderstorms that rolled through the region. For some areas this had been the first measurable rainfall in a couple weeks:

Clearwater - 3.1 inches
Altona/Roland - 2.3 inches
Kane - 1.6 inches
Dominion City - 1.5 inches
Winkler - 1.4 inches
Carman/Elm Creek - 1.3 inches
Manitou/Morris - 1.2 inches
Somerset - nearly 1 inch

"Tuesday's storms packed a punch," said CMOS Accredited Weathercaster Chris Sumner. "All of this came from a low pressure system moving across Southern Manitoba, and based on the reports we're receiving this morning, it was a general rainfall of one to three inches from the Saskatchewan to Ontario border south of the Trans Canada highway."

Sumner noted strong winds were also reported  last night, as the first round of severe thunderstorms literally blew through the area as a squall line. The Manitoba Agriculture Weather Network station at Clearwater reported a peak wind gust of 125 km/h, Snowflake 87 km/h and Windygates 86 km/h. "A squall line is when thunderstorms have arranged into a line, often ahead of a cold front, and move in one general direction. These have the potential to produce extreme wind gusts, and usually lead to some amazing photo opportunities with prominent shelf clouds typically a characteristic."

Hundreds of area residents were without power early Wednesday morning. At one point Manitoba Hydro reported about 2,000 customer province wide were in the dark, with nearly half of those in Altona and about five hundred in the Winkler and Roland areas. Hydro was restored to most of those homes by 7 a.m.

Even though a cold front has moved through the region, temperatures will remain above average for the next few days, but the humidity will be significantly less Canada Day than so far this week.

"We're expecting daytime highs to push 30 today, but the Humidex will only be around 32, which means it will feel much less muggy," said Sumner. "That won't last long, though, with southerly winds once again pumping the region full of a hot, humid air-mass for Thursday. Highs tomorrow will be in the 31 to 33 range, but it will feel like 40 or slightly warmer."

The warm weather will continue Friday with highs again heading toward 30. A disturbance moving through the area Friday night into Saturday will lead to a good chance of showers, and will also knock temperatures back to seasonal for this time of year which is around 25 to 26.