Severe weather, including hail, could hit western Manitoba Thursday

WINNIPEG — Severe weather is possible this evening in western Manitoba.

A storm system brought thunderstorm watches and warnings and, briefly, tornado watches to southwest Saskatchewan on Wednesday. Manitoba is expected to see similar conditions from the same system Thursday on a slightly smaller scale, mostly at night. Rainfall from this system in Saskatchewan left varying amounts of rain, from next to nothing up near 25 to 30 millimetres, and some reports of loonie to golf ball sized hail.

Southwestern Manitoba is most likely area to see severe thunderstorm watches and warnings, Environment Canada meteorologists say. The likelihood of severe conditions is dependent on the dew point and the amount of sunshine in the area. Watches and warnings could be issued early this afternoon. It’s unclear at this point how far north they’ll stretch, but isolated areas along the Saskatchewan border could receive 20 to 30 millimetres of precipitation, pea to loonie sized hail and strong wind gusts. The storm will track east through the night. As the storm tracks away from the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border, the risk of severe weather decreases.

Winnipeg is likely to see showers and thunderstorms after midnight with less than 5 mm of rain. Hail is unlikely.

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