National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was a windy one but despite the blustery conditions, ceremonies and events went on as planned. As the day wrapped up, a gusty wind continued to blow as the calendar switched over to a brand new month.
Power outages were reported throughout the day as power lines were affected and some trees fell around the region as an intense low-pressure system moved through northern Manitoba and brought two days of high winds across southern Manitoba Sunday and Monday.
According to a summary from Environment Canada, strong southerly winds gusting 70 to 80 km/h started Sunday and gave way to widespread severe westerly winds gusting to 90 km/h or more at times later Monday morning and afternoon.
For the latest forecast details, click here.
Hundreds of customers were without hydro during the highest point Monday, but most outages were dealt with by the end of the day. In a social media post, Manitoba Hydro indicated it had brought in additional staff to restore power. As of early Tuesday morning, there were still a number of pockets of outages primarily north of the Trans Canada and Highway 16.
The following peak wind gusts are for Monday, September 30th and are courtesy Environment Canada and the Manitoba Ag Weather Network:
Victoria Beach - 102 km/h
Brandon/Dauphin - 96 km/h
Minnedosa - 95 km/h
Somerset - 94 km/h
Austin - 91 km/h
Pilot Mound - 89 km/h
Killarney/Ninette - 87 km/h
Baldur/Glenboro/Virden - 86 km/h
Manitou/Holland/Neepawa 85 km/h
Jordan - 84 km/h
Morris/Emerson - 83 km/h
Clearwater/Winnipeg Airport - 82 km/h
Altona - 81 km/h
Dominion City/Wawanesa - 80 km/h
Gretna - 77 km/h
Boissevain - 75 km/h
Elm Creek - 74 km/h
Portage la Prairie - 73 km/h
Morden - 68 km/h
Southport - 60 km/h
Steinbach - 58 km/h
Carman 56 km/h
"With the wind behind us, cooler air has arrived, and we'll see a return to temperatures much closer to seasonal than what we had over the past week," explained CMOS Accredited Weathercaster Chris Sumner. "With that said, much of the first week of October is expected to remain a few degrees above average for this time of year, with daytime highs two to five degrees warmer than normal."
Averages for the start of the month are 15 degrees for daytime highs and +3 for overnight lows. Highs Tuesday through Sunday are expected to range between 15 and 22 degrees.
"The gusty fall pattern, which is so typical for the season, will continue for the next few days," he added. "As surface high pressure passes to our south Tuesday, southwesterly winds gusting to 50km/h will develop and last well into the evening. After that, a strong low-pressure system centered over Nunavut and Hudson Bay will lead to strong northwesterly gusts Wednesday up to 50 km/h. That will usher in the coolest air of the week, with the first chance of widespread frost coming Thursday night, when overnight lows are forecast to dip into minus territory."
According to Sumner, heading into the weekend temperatures will warm again as a weak ridge builds over the region, and warmer air pushes northward for Friday and Saturday. A cold front moving through Saturday night is expected to push temperatures back to seasonal for Sunday.
