This Day in Weather History - August 19

 August 19, 1883 Rain and Wind Storm

A storm system brought heavy rain, strong winds and cold weather to southern Manitoba on August 19, 1883. It was said by the Free Press to be the severest storm of the year, lasting about 24 hours. 

In Winnipeg, the event began with heavy thunder and lightning during the evening on August 18, and was followed by pouring rain until about 8pm the 19th. It was said that church services were poorly attended and streets nearly empty because of the storm (the 19th was a Sunday). Strong winds knocked out telegraph and telephone wires and caused minor damages to buildings. According to the Telephone Exchange, some 250 km of wires were knocked down. The tower on the Knox Church was also demolished by the wind as well as some chimneys across the city. Wind damage was also reported northwest of Winnipeg and in Kenora, Ontario. Luckily, crops did not suffer too much from the storm, some of them already harvested or nearing harvest. According to a report from the Stony Montain area, winds were between 60 and 90 km/h. 

From the Free Press Aug 21, 1883, page 8

Because of the all-day rains on the 19th, the temperature only reached a high of 17.2°C in Winnipeg. Rainfall amounts generally ranged from about 25 mm to 90 mm across southern Manitoba. Winnipeg received about 57 mm in total. 

Rainfall amounts courtesy of Environment Canada:

Birtle 92.2 mm (unclear if this report was from the same storm system)
Morris 90.5 mm
Emerson 75.7 mm
Cartwright 70.1 mm
Stony Mountain 59.5 mm
Winnipeg 56.9 mm
Turtle Mountain 37.8 mm
Minnedosa 24.1 mm
Pilot Mound 11.2 mm
Shoal Lake 6.1 mm

From the Free Press Aug 20, 1883, page 8

From the Free Press Aug 21, 1883, page 1