This Day in Weather History - August 29

 August 29, 1910 Thunderstorms Cause Mostly Lightning Damage

Widespread thunderstorms affected southern Manitoba on August 29, 1910. In Winnipeg, two waves of thunderstorms hit. The first storm hit at about noon and brought heavy rain. The sky was apparently so dark that it was necessary to turn on the lights indoors. About 18 mm fell with this storm. The second storm struck about 8 pm and lasted about two hours. It brought strong winds, heavy thunder and vivid lightning. Not much damage was reported however. The bulk of the damage caused by the storms was by lightning. A hay stack north of the city in Rosser took fire by a lightning strike, and was plainly visible from the city. 36.1 mm of rain fell from the two storms at St John's College according to the Tribune. 

Winnipeg Tribune Aug 29, 1910, page 9

Other parts of southern Manitoba weren't so lucky as Winnipeg. The Winnipeg Beach area was hard hit. Hundreds of trees were knocked down and a ''good-sized'' boat was lifted into the air by the wind. The wind was apparently even enough to push water away from the shore, exposing more beach than usual. The storm scared away many campers the following two days. Businesses were not too pleased with their departure. 

Other storm reports:

Birtle - The heaviest rain of the season. The storm tore off the metal roof of a terrace. North and west of town, grain fields were flattened. To the east, it was just a shower. 

Russell - A severe storm of wind, rain and hail in some localities in this district. Some damage to uncut grain. Telephone lines were damaged as well. 

Souris - Worst storm of the season in the morning, with heavy rain. A residence was damaged considerably by lightning. The rain was very heavy in town and north, but lighter in the south. 

Elgin (south of Souris) - Severe electrical storm south of town about 8:30 am. A new barn was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. A man received a severe shock from the lightning strike. 

Macgregor - A barn was struck by lightning and damaged considerably. Two horses were killed. Telegraph wires were damaged by the storm. 

Baldur - A horse was killed by lightning. 

Portage la Prairie - Three barns at Island Park were struck by lightning about 1 pm and burned to the ground. Heavy rain accompanied by the storm has delayed harvesting for the time being. 

Kenora - Much needed rain throughout this entire district at night with intervals of lightning. 

Some rainfall amounts:

Birtle 47.0 mm (Winnipeg Tribune)

Winnipeg St John's College 36.1 mm

Portage la Prairie 32.5 mm

Stony Mountain 25.4 mm

Emerson 25.4 mm (Winnipeg Tribune)

Treherne 24.9 mm

West Selkirk 23.9 mm (Winnipeg Tribune)

Morden 23.4 mm

Pipestone 15.2 mm

Virden 12.7 mm

Winnipeg Tribune Aug 30, 1910, page 1

This post contains information from the Winnipeg Tribune, Winnipeg Free Press, Baldur Gazette, Birtle Eye Witness, Russell Banner and ECCC. 

This Day in Weather History - August 28

 August 28, 1991 Record Heat and Strong Winds

A low pressure system moving into southwestern Manitoba brought a stiff southerly wind and hot temperatures to southern Manitoba on August 28, 1991. It was part of a three-day heat wave from the 27th to 29th. Temperatures were hottest on the 28th, reaching record values above 37°C. Winnipeg reached a record 37.1°C. Portage la Prairie was the hotspot at 37.8°C. 

Strong southerly winds throughout the day brought wind gusts over 90 km/h. Winnipeg Airport gusted up to 95 km/h at 2:16 pm. At least the wind helped provide some relief for those out in the heat. I have not been able to find much information about the day, so cannot confirm whether there was any damage from the wind. One disadvantage of the hot and dry wind was its effect on wild fires in eastern Manitoba. August had been a very dry month. In fact, it was the 3rd driest on record in Winnipeg with a measly 6 mm of rain. The wind also reportedly caused some blowing dust. 

The strong winds helped keep temperatures very warm at night. Winnipeg Airport had a daily low of 24.0°C, the second warmest on record in August and tied 6th warmest of all time since 1872. 

Weather forecast map for noon on August 28, 1991, by the WinnipegFree Press page 32

From the Winnipeg Free Press August 29, 1991, page 1

This post contains information from the Winnipeg Free Press and ECCC. 

This Day in Weather History - August 27

 August 27, 1884, Vicious Thunderstorms Leave Swath of Damage Across Southern Manitoba

Severe thunderstorms developed in southern Manitoba in the afternoon of August 27, 1884, then plowed eastward in the late afternoon and evening, leaving widespread damage all the way to northwestern Ontario. Damaging winds were the main issue but there were reports of hail and torrential downpours as well. The strongest storms began around Brandon by about 4pm (although, it appears more storms also developed in other areas late afternoon), then raced eastward, reaching Winnipeg by around 6:30 pm and Vermillion Bay east of Kenora Ontario by about 10:40 pm. In Winnipeg, the storm lasted about two hours, but the strongest winds did not arrive until just before 8pm, possibly suggesting that there were some storms ahead of the main line of severe storms. It continued to rain until shortly before midnight, after which a heavy wind came from the south. 

Based on reports, the greatest damage occurred from Portage la Prairie to Winnipeg with several buildings damaged or destroyed. Just west of Winnipeg, around Headingley, almost every single building was damaged, some lifted off their foundations. Some roofs were blown off buildings. Telegraph wires were also damaged, cutting off communications until the following morning. Electric light wires were badly damaged, leaving parts of the city of Winnipeg in darkness. Surprisingly and luckily, little in the way of permanent damage was done to crops. 

Some hail damage occurred in some areas. In Gladstone, some windows were smashed by hail. 

The event was very well documented in newspapers and was reported to be the worst in years. There are too many reports to list here, so I have created a map where you can click on points and see the details. It also helps to visualize where the event occurred. The map can be viewed by following this link. 

From the Winnipeg Daily Sun, Aug 28, 1884, page 1

This post contains information from the Winnipeg Daily Sun, Winnipeg Free Press, the Gladstone Age and the Monthly Weather Review.