Thunderstorms threaten eastern Manitoba

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This article was published 18/08/2011 (4244 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Thunderstorms have travelled to eastern Manitoba after soaking portions of the Interlake, Winnipeg and southern Manitoba earlier this evening.

Whiteshell, Lac du Bonnet and Pinawa are under a thunderstorm warning. All other warnings have been lifted.

Environment Canada says the weather system may bring golfball-sized hail, strong gusts and heavy downpours. The cold front is triggering isolated thunderstorms as it moves eastward.

Severe thunderstorms could produce tornadoes.

A spokeswoman for Manitoba Hydro said the storm has not affected any service so far, adding there have no reports of power outages or damaged power lines.

Henry Wieler of Blumenort said a bolt of lightning struck his backyard fire pit, a 45-gallon drum, around 10 p.m. and ignited the scraps of wood inside it.

“All of a sudeen I smelled smoke. It was kind of weird,” he said.

The thunder and lightning was followed by a short but intense hailstorm and downpour, he said.