Taps open, streets flood, when thunderstorm strikes southern Manitoba

Flash flooding caused by a gusher of rain left many homeowners drenched and without electricity when a powerful thunderstorm walloped southern Manitoba.

The severe weather Thursday night dumped about 76 millimetres on Portage la Prairie, west of Winnipeg, leaving a number of people with wet basements.

Flooding also occurred in Steinbach and Altona as well as in St-Pierre-Jolys, where residents are getting over a major storm two weeks ago.

Lightning strikes took down power lines in a number of areas, leaving Manitoba Hydro crews working through the night to try to restore service.

Repairs were still being done when the morning commute got underway.

While the rain wasn’t as bad in Winnipeg, the runoff was still enough to flood a number of streets and underpasses, leaving some motorists stranded when their vehicles stalled.

Storms rumble through southern Manitoba, create flash flood in St-Pierre-Jolys: http://t.co/i9yuKVPY8O pic.twitter.com/Rplr5knSYb

— Metro Winnipeg (@metrowinnipeg) July 16, 2015