Sunday will be Round 2 for Prairie storms and evacuations

Friday, July 3, 2015, 9:46 PM - Severe struck parts of Manitoba and northwestern Ontario after storms ripped through the Prairies Saturday, also prompting tornado warnings in southern Saskatchewan.

The warnings were dropped around 3:14 p.m. CST Saturday, but severe thunderstorm warnings and watches stretched into the evening for all three Prairie provinces.

But such rain as fell hasn't been enough to reverse critically dry conditions that have fueled wildfires severe enough to drive more than 5,000 people from their homes.

The storms were due to a strong cold front associated with a low pressure system that has affected temperatures across the Prairies. 

Damaging wind gusts of up to 90 km/h, quarter to toonie-sized hail, frequent lightning and heavy rain were the greatest threats with this system.

Storms even struck as far west as Alberta, where the Calgary Stampede got a dose of hail.

Steady rainfall is likely to continue in extreme southern areas of Alberta and Saskatchewan into southeastern Manitoba. The cold front that helped trigger Saturday's storms is pushing temperatures down to near 20^oC across the Prairies, before a rebound to the upper 20s by the midweek.

"The front will again bring the risk for thunderstorms across southern Manitoba into northwestern Ontario," Weather Network meteorologist Nadine Powell said early Sunday.

As wildfire smoke continues to be an issue in the Prairies, it may hinder some thunderstorms.

"You can think of the smoke as a layer of cloud. When you have smoke in the area, it reduces the ability for sunlight to hit the surface of the Earth and you don't get as much daytime heating. This helps to destabilize the atmosphere. Therefore, the smoke will limit the amount of instability," The Weather Network meteorologist Erin Wenkstern explained.

Officials issued general evacuations in Saskatchewan communities of La Ronge, Air Ronge and Lac La Ronge Indian Band on Saturday due to the wildfires.

The flames engulfed a northern Saskatchewan community about 250 km northeast of Saskatoon, burning at least two homes to the ground.

"Everybody's safe, but we just couldn't take on Mother Nature today," Edward Henderson, chief of the Montreal Lake First Nation told CTV. "There was no stopping it -- four water bombers, two helicopters bucketing, crews on the ground doing whatever they could, but we just couldn't do anything when the wind picked up."

The forest fires have forced at least 5,200 people from their homes in Saskatchewan.

The air quality advisory continues for the entire province, mirrored with similar advisories in the Northwest Territories, parts of Alberta and Manitoba.

With a report from Daksha Rangan.

Source: The Weather Network | CTV