Portage la Prairie residents weren’t the only ones ducking for cover as storms rolled through southern Manitoba on Canada Day.
While festivities carried on across the region, Environment and Climate Change Canada issued warnings for strong winds and hail as evening storms built up and swept across the province.
Eric Dykes, meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, says the storms weren’t part of a major weather system but were triggered by heat, humidity and upper-atmosphere instability.
“There wasn't any large low pressure system that was tied to the storms that actually went through southern Manitoba yesterday,” notes Dykes. “Regardless of the reasons why, there were some very good storms that we had to warn through parts of southern Manitoba last night.”
Storm tracks and damage reports
Dykes explains the storms started forming just north and west of Portage before tracking southeast through the evening and early overnight hours.
“We did receive a few reports from these storms of anywhere between pea sized hail to perhaps upwards of nickel sized hail,” says Dykes.
He adds that those hail reports came mostly from areas south and east of Portage, including near Starbuck and south of Winnipeg. Wind, however, was another story.
“The station at Portage Southport did report at 9:05 p.m. a gust of 96 kilometres per hour,” continues Dykes. “That is deemed to be a severe gust; anything over 90 would be deemed severe.”
Another severe wind gust of 101 kilometres per hour was recorded at Cypress River just after 11 p.m., according to Dykes.
“That’s kind of what we saw with these storms,” he remarks. “Initially the main threats looked to be hail and wind, it turned into more of a wind maker.”
Rainfall totals and localized pooling
Rainfall amounts vary across the region, ranging from 3 to 5 mm in some areas to as much as 25 mm in others.
“Some reports of not overland flooding, but the ditches getting full of water in some locations,” mentions Dykes. “It has been rather dry the last little while. The ground wasn't able to absorb the rain that was going down rather quickly.”
What’s next in the forecast
Dykes notes that high pressure is keeping things more stable today, but more weather could be on the way.
“Those storms that do form off to the west will actually make it all the way towards the Portage area come tomorrow morning,” he says. “That's why we have the 30 per cent chance of showers come tomorrow morning.”
He adds the next potential round of storms is expected Thursday night into Friday.
“We're going to start to see some of the storms firing off through western North Dakota and southeastern Saskatchewan,” remarks Dykes. “That’s likely where the severe threat will hold... but the rainfall may of course push a little bit further east.”
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Wednesday’s high will reach around 29°C with a humidex making it feel closer to 32. Clear skies are expected tonight with cooler temperatures near 13°C. Thursday brings a mix of sun and clouds, with a chance of showers developing late in the morning and into the afternoon, along with stronger winds gusting up to 50 km/h. Temperatures will rise to about 31°C.
Showers may continue into Thursday night and Friday, with highs climbing into the low 30s and overnight lows in the upper teens.
June weather snapshot
Preliminary stats from Environment Canada show Portage received 39.7 mm of rain up to June 29; well below the normal of 80.4 mm.
“That puts us about 49 per cent of normal for the month of June,” continues Dykes. “That puts it as the 21st driest for June of 2025.”
Temperature-wise, Dykes says the average for June came in at 17.4°C, just slightly above the normal of 16.9°C.
“That puts it at the 49th warmest. Nothing too egregiously hot, nothing too egregiously cold.”
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