PembinaValleyOnline News

Several Severe Thunderstorm Watches and Warnings were issued for the southern Red River Valley Saturday afternoon and early evening as scattered storms rolled across the region.

“A trough of low pressure sinking southward through the area was the trigger for the development,” noted CMOS Accredited Weathercaster Chris Sumner. “Some locations saw a couple rounds of showers and thunderstorms, and as is typical with this type of convective development, those places that had a storm roll overhead saw a significant amount of rainfall.”

Monday morning started with cracks of thunder, flashes of lightning and gusty winds as thunderstorms move through the area.

In almost a carbon copy repeat of what happened Saturday afternoon and evening, another round of pop-up thunderstorms rumbled over parts of the Pembina and Red River Valleys Sunday afternoon and evening.

In typical Summer fashion, the Pembina Valley region saw scattered late afternoon and early evening thunderstorms Saturday. According to CMOS Accredited Weathercaster Chris Sumner, some rural areas may have received significant amounts.

Two rounds of heavy rain and thunderstorms Canada Day wrapped up a long weekend book-ended by precipitation.

The first of two upper level lows to impact Southern Manitoba over the next few days produced a grey, damp and cooler than average Friday to kick off Canada Day long weekend.

It looks like Canada Day weekend will be book-ended by rain, with two different systems expected to bring precipitation to Southern Manitoba.

A brief period of strong winds Monday morning snapped tree limbs, knocked down trees and caused power outages across the southern Red River and Pembina Valleys.

"The wind gusts were the result of the flow coming out of a line of strong to severe thunderstorms that extended from nearly the Canada/U.S. border southward through the entire state of North Dakota to the the South Dakota border," explained CMOS Accredited Weathercaster Chris Sumner. "In the wake of that line of storms passing to our south, very strong southerly wind gusts were created."

Showers and thunderstorms crossed the Pembina and Red River Valleys late Saturday afternoon and evening, with one Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued for the Carman area.

“Severe Thunderstorm Watches had been in place from late Saturday afternoon, and it was only this one storm cell which reached severe criteria,” explained CMOS Accredited Weathercaster Chris Sumner. “The remainder of the system remained below severe limits, but those areas that did see a thunderstorm, or two, from the two waves of showers had considerably more rainfall.”

The breaks between rainfall events have been short, and after some areas saw significant precipitation Saturday night, another round arrived Monday evening and overnight into early Tuesday morning.