Power was out for tens of thousands of people in southern Manitoba, including parts of Winnipeg, after severe storms hit the region, with flooding and potential tornadoes also reported.
Tuesday night’s system was the latest to cross the province, with heavy rain, strong winds and hail reported by Environment Canada.
As of 7 a.m. Wednesday, Manitoba Hydro reported that 19,600 homes in Winnipeg were without power due to the storm system. Across the province, the Crown corporation said there were 900 power outages and more than 34,000 customers affected.
The system developed in the Red River Valley and caused “chaos,” said Environment Canada meteorologist Dan Fulton.
“This chaos developed in the Red River Valley, quickly escalated, and basically all the chaos that followed came from that and then from the wider group. [precipitation] that was moving through… the city around midnight or so,” Fulton told 680 CJOB.
Very heavy rainfall, totaling more than 250 millimeters, was reported in the Stonewall, Man., area at 3 a.m., resulting in major flooding. Another 120 mm was reported in Woodlands, while the Forks weather station in Winnipeg reported 117 mm. More than 50 mm of rain fell in other communities, with many reports of flooding.
Hailstones the size of tennis balls were also reported in Winnipeg, Sanford and Otterburne, with similar sizes reported in other areas in the south of the province.
A vehicle moves through a flooded road on June 9, 2026 in Winnipeg.
Jordan Pearn/Global News
Wind speeds exceeded 100 kilometers per hour in some communities, with Dand and Deloraine reporting gusts as high as 130 km/h. Winnipeg reported wind gusts of up to 94 km/h.
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There were also reports of tornadoes in Ste. Anne and St. Malo, south of Winnipeg, although Environment Canada has not yet provided official confirmation. Fulton said there were also “numerous” reports of funnel clouds moving across “very bad areas” in the Red River Valley.
“I think this is going to be the case, we probably won’t know the total number for a few days. It’s going to take a lot of investigation to try to find out what exactly is going on out there,” Fulton said.
The City of Winnipeg says it will take time to respond to everyone who needs help.
“We know for a fact that many residents throughout the city were impacted by the storm and may experience flooding, whether in homes, businesses, and in addition, property damage, downed trees, power outages,” said Mike Olczyk, the city’s emergency management coordinator. “City staff has been responding to calls, reports and concerns….It may take us some time, but city staff is certainly working hard to resolve all incidents.”
The city said as of 9 a.m., the 311 line had received storm-related calls, including 137 for downed trees and debris, and 122 for raw sewage from sewer backups.
Emergency crews have also seen a number of calls, with 851s received by 911 between 6pm on Tuesday and 6am on Wednesday. The calls included 132 calls regarding electrical hazards and 10 calls regarding possible structure fires.
As southern Manitoba suffers damage, Environment Canada is warning of a risk of more severe weather on Wednesday, with more expected in the following day.
“This one doesn’t look too bad,” Fulton said. “A lot of the energy in the atmosphere has been drained from last night’s outbreak, but we’re looking back at the Red River Valley.”
Cleanup also continues in western communities such as Swan River, which was hit by a storm Monday morning, resulting in major flooding.
Environment Canada said the region was able to avoid the brunt of the system on Tuesday night, although Fulton said there could still be between 25 and 75 mm thick.
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