It was a noisy Sunday evening for some spots in Southern Manitoba as a line of showers and thunderstorms slid through the region. While there was some thunder and lightning in the Portage area, the heaviest rain fell to the south. Doc Walker got in most of their show at the Portage Ex but many fled to their cars before it was over when some brief rain started falling for a short period of time. Although it looked like it could get
"The atmosphere was primed for a stormy night," explained CMOS Accredited Weathercaster Chris Sumner. "Warm, moist air had been pumped into the region all day, and a slumping cold front moving southeasterly through the region was the trigger for a line a storms that, at one point, extended from the far southeastern corner of the province, back northwesterly to Carman and Notre Dame. The line intensified relatively quickly, and did reach severe limits at several points."
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings were issued for several locations including Portage la Prairie, the R.M.s of Portage, Dufferin, Roland, Morris, Montcalm and more.
"Based on what our Rainwatchers are telling us, it sounds like frequent lightning and brief downpours were the primary result of last night's thunderstorms," he added. "Wind gusts were nowhere near what they were last week when a gust of 101km/h was recorded near Morris."
According to the Manitoba Ag Weather Network, a wind gust of 60km/h was recorded near Carman, and that appears to be the strongest Sunday night.
The following totals are courtesy Environment Canada and the Manitoba Ag Weather Network.
Roland - 20mm (with some small hail)
Carman - 14.0mm
Steinbach - 10.7mm
St. Claude - 9.7mm
Treherne - 8.9mm
Morris - 7.8mm (about 3/10th)
Bagot - 7.1mm
Arborg - 5.8mm
Elm Creek - 4.8mm
Morden - 4.1mm
Manitou - 3.8mm
Winnipeg (airport) - 2.1mm
Portage - 1.0mm
25mm = 1 inch
After a warm and humid Sunday, in behind the cold front will be several days of cooler weather.
"Surface high pressure will be the story for Monday and Tuesday, as an upper level low over Hudson Bay continues to pump cooler air into the region," noted Sumner. "Alongside breezy conditions up to 50km/h from the northwest today, we can expect highs between 20 and 22, and lots of sunshine. Tuesday will see similar daytime highs and more sun."
Average daytime highs for this time of year are 26, with overnight lows of 13.
For the rest of the week, there is a slight chance of a shower today along with Wednesday and Thursday, with weak disturbances possibly leading to some precipitation. Temperatures are expected to warm back to seasonal by the latter half of the week, but Sumner added the forecast models are not in total agreement regarding when the upper level low over Hudson Bay will break down, allowing for a return to a more westerly flow.
"What that means, if the low remains in place for the latter half of the week, forecast temperatures now may end up being a little high," he said. "But, if the low breaks down as some models are suggesting, warmer temperatures may return in time for the coming weekend."