Western Manitoba facing another severe weather threat

Flood-ravaged western Manitoba is bracing for another severe weather threat Tuesday, with Environment Canada forecasting upwards of 100 millimetres of rain and the possibility of tornadoes, large hail, and damaging winds.

The region is still reeling from Sunday's deluge, which dumped 148 millimetres of rain on Minitonas in just a few hours and 72 millimetres on Swan Valley. The rain swelled rivers beyond their banks, forced up to 150 people from their homes, and left multiple communities without power.

Minitonas declared a state of local emergency Monday and issued a boil water advisory after losing water pressure. A gas line ruptured, and Manitoba Hydro reported that damage to its equipment is "severe" with some areas still impossible or unsafe to access. At the height of Monday's outages, approximately 4,000 people were without power.

The Town of Swan River is calling for sandbagging volunteers as water continues to rise. Rick Wowchuck, the local MLA, said conservation officers, RCMP, and firefighters have been helping residents and businesses sandbag, particularly in the southwest corner where the Roaring River is finding its way into drainage systems across the land.

Multiple highways remain closed in the Parkland region. Environment Canada meteorologist Keane Kokolsky warned Tuesday morning that the storms could be "really loaded with precipitation" but the exact track remains unclear. "Hopefully the worst of it misses them," he said, "but there's a lot of moisture in the air today."