Severe thunderstorms tore across parts of Southern Manitoba Sunday evening as a low pressure system moved across the province and the Dakotas. Hail, strong winds and heavy rain fell. Those very strong winds downed trees and
hydro lines in a number of communities. As of 7 a.m. Monday morning, Manitoba Hydro reported nearly 2,000 customers were still without power across the region, primarily in the Southern Red River Valley and Southeastern Manitoba.Hail also fell in a couple of locations, with pea-sized hail reported in Altona around 9 p.m.
Meantime, Sunday's storm kept Altona fire fighters busy. Crews responded to calls of two downed power lines in town.
Deputy Fire Chief Barry Friesen said a line came loose and ended up in a tree near the clinic, sending sparks flying. He noted ultimately, a burned off branch fell on to the roof of the building and fire fighters removed it.
A second power line came down on Ash Street. However, Friesen said electricity was already out in that part of town so fire fighters just confirmed the problem and called it into Manitoba Hydro.
Here are some Rainwatcher totals from Sunday, August 26th:
Cartwright – 1 inch
Carman, Morris - 9/10th
Kane, Manitou - 8/10th
Altona, Winkler, Gretna - 7/10th
Emerson, Dominion City - 6/10th
Elm Creek, Morden – 1/2 inch
A cooler start to the week in the aftermath of the storm system, with daytime highs struggling to reach 17 Monday and Tuesday. Warmer weather, and seasonal temperatures are expected to return starting Wednesday.