Most of southern Manitoba was under severe thunderstorm watches or warnings on Wednesday night, including the cities of Winnipeg and Brandon.
Environment Canada said thunderstorms had already started in southwestern Manitoba Wednesday night, and conditions are favourable for severe thunderstorms to develop elsewhere over the evening.
The agency issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Brandon, and the municipality of North Cypress-Langford, including Neepawa and Carberry.
Just after 9 p.m., Environment Canada said radar indicated a severe thunderstorm just east of Brandon that was quickly moving north, with the potential to bring quarter-size hail and wind gusts in excess of 90 kilometres per hour.
Thunderstorm watches were in effect as of 9 p.m. for virtually all of the remainder of southern Manitoba, from the Saskatchewan border as far east as the Steinbach area, which was already hit by heavy rainfall this week.
The alerts extend as far north as the Elkhorn area in western Manitoba, and up into the Interlake region further east.
The thunderstorms could bring upwards of 50 millimetres of rain, wind gusts in excess of 90 kilometres per hour, loonie-sized hail and the risk of tornadoes, the weather agency warned.