The Sandy Bay area of Manitoba is under a special weather statement as heavy rainfall and thunderstorms are set to move in tonight and last through Tuesday evening. Environment Canada issued the alert early Monday, with rainfall amounts that could lead to localized flooding. Residents can expect conditions to improve by Wednesday.
As of Monday afternoon, the temperature sits at 19 degrees C under partly cloudy skies, with a high of 21 degrees C and a low of 14 degrees C. But the forecast shows a 90 percent chance of rain, with about 5 millimetres expected during the day and heavier downpours arriving overnight. Between 10 and 40 millimetres of rain could fall by Tuesday evening, with even higher amounts possible if slow-moving thunderstorms linger.
Environment Canada warns that recent heavy rain across southern Manitoba has left the ground saturated, raising the risk of flooding in low-lying areas. The storm system is tracking east from Saskatchewan and will intensify as it reaches Manitoba. The weather agency urges residents to monitor alerts and stay off flooded roads.
This comes after an active few weeks of severe weather in the region. A tornado touched down near Ste. Anne on June 9, and funnel clouds were reported near Otterburne on June 10, knocking out power for many Manitoba Hydro customers and causing flooding that led to hundreds of emergency calls. The current alert covers the Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation, a community of about 2,500 on-reserve residents located on the western shore of Lake Manitoba, roughly 165 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.
Relief is expected by midweek. Wednesday will bring a mix of sun and cloud, and temperatures should warm to 25 degrees C by Thursday.
