A tornado watch in southern Manitoba has ended, but now cottagers in parts of eastern Manitoba could see their docks and boathouses in trouble.
Environment Canada called off the tornado watch four and a half hours after issuing the watch today at 11 a.m.
Dark clouds and a small funnel cloud circle above the R.M. of St. Andrews, near Highway 8 and Parkdale Road.
During the watch, three funnel clouds were spotted north of Winnipeg near St. Andrews with an unconfirmed report that one touched the ground.
As well, there was pea-sized hail north of Ste. Anne.
The watch had included all communities within an area bounded by Portage la Prairie to the west, north to Gimli, east to the Whiteshell Provincial Park and south to the American border.
Meanwhile, Manitoba Water Stewardship has issued an advisory stating the Winnipeg River's crest may be higher than earlier predicted.
The department says the river is now close to flooding due to heavy rain since early last month.
Because of the high water levels, Water Stewardship is warning cottagers that the crest two weeks from now will affect low-lying parts of property, including boathouses and docks.
And because the river has strong currents, the department is also warning inexperienced boaters and canoeists to stay off the river.
The province said Thursday the recent heavy rains have created wet fields across southwestern Manitoba but very little run-off.
Storms earlier this week produced rainfall amounts of between 50-75 millimetres in southwestern Manitoba, while the Westman area -- including Riding Mountain and Duck Mountain parks received as much as 20 mm.
The Assiniboine, Souris and Pembina rivers are expected to rise a few feet but will remain well within their banks.
The Red River, meanwhile, continues to rise due to the rain the past 10 days. The level at Emerson has risen 2.3 metres (7.5 feet) and is expected to rise an additional 2.3 metres before it crests on June 23.
The river will remain well within its banks at all points, except it is expected the river walkway will be submerged for a short while.
For more information, go to the the Manitoba Waterstewardship website.
Meanwhile, the weekend weather forecast includes a little bit of everything, according to Environment Canada.
Tonight, there is a risk of a thunderstorm and a low of 10 C.
On Saturday, it's much the same -- cloudy with sunny periods, a 40 per cent chance of rain and a high of 21 C.
Sunday will be a little warmer with a high of 23 C, however, there's a 30 per cent chance of rain.
The start to the week will be sunny, with a high of 23 C on Monday and 26 C on Tuesday.
kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
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