Environment Canada has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for Steinbach and the Rural Municipality of Hanover, including Niverville and Grunthal, as a cold front moving through southern Manitoba is expected to trigger dangerous storms Monday evening and overnight.
The watch, in effect as of July 6, 2026, warns of possible hail between 4 and 6 centimetres in size, rainfall amounts of 50 to 70 millimetres, and wind gusts reaching 100 kilometres per hour. Environment Canada says conditions are ripe for storms that could knock out power and damage roofs, fences, and trees.
The culprit is a cold front from a low-pressure system pushing into the region, colliding with warm, humid air already sitting over southern Manitoba. That heat and humidity are already being felt—temperatures in Steinbach were near 27 degrees Celsius early Monday afternoon with a humidex of 36 and southwest winds gusting to 30 km/h.
“The development of storms in this region will be courtesy of a cold front from a low pressure system that will move into the region this afternoon,” according to Instant Weather Inc.
The alert comes days after a string of severe weather, including a confirmed tornado near Rossburn, Man., on June 28, 2026. Residents are advised to stay indoors during the storm and monitor forecasts as conditions change.
The watch covers Steinbach—Manitoba’s third-largest city with a population of about 17,800—and the wider R.M. of Hanover. The Steinbach region serves a trading area of roughly 50,000 people in the southeastern corner of the province.
