Stonewall residents should keep an eye on the sky this week as a severe storm system lingers over Manitoba’s Prairies. While Stonewall currently has no active weather alerts, The Weather Network reports conditions are unsettled and could change quickly.
The system is expected to bring a risk of thunderstorms on Tuesday, June 9, with the potential for large hail and even tornadoes by evening. According to The Weather Network, a strong jet stream and a negatively tilted trough over the Rockies are setting the stage for supercells to develop near the Saskatchewan-Manitoba border before moving east. These intense storms could produce very large hail along with an increased chance of tornadoes.
Later overnight and into Wednesday, the storms might combine into a larger system known as a mesoscale convective system, which could bring damaging winds to areas around Brandon and Winnipeg.
This latest severe weather comes just days after a tornado event on June 2 that saw at least three confirmed twisters touch down in southern Manitoba. One was spotted near Manitou around 4:30 p.m., and two more hit near Carman around 5:15 p.m. That same day, some areas saw golf ball to tennis ball-sized hail, and Stonewall itself had quarter-sized stones.
The dramatic weather has even drawn American storm chasers north, as an unusual season south of the border has shifted tornado activity away from typical Tornado Alley and into the Midwest and Deep South.
Manitoba sits at the northern end of Tornado Alley and typically sees 8 to 14 tornadoes each year, mostly in June and July. The Manitoba Emergency Management Organization notes the province’s most significant twister hit Elie in 2007—an F5 with the fastest wind speed ever recorded on Earth at 510 km/h.
With unsettled weather expected to continue, meteorologists advise residents to review their severe weather safety plans and stay tuned for watches and warnings.
