'It just came with a vengeance': 114 km/h winds, thunderstorms do damage in western Manitoba Friday

A Manitoba store owner says she's grateful nobody was hurt when a powerful storm tore through her campground on Friday. 

Suzanne Daly said she saw a tornado hit the Rock Lake Beach campground about 40 kilometres east of Killarney, Man., at around 6 p.m., tearing up trees and damaging three campsites. 

Environment Canada meteorologist said David Baggaley said a line of very strong thunderstorms producing very strong straight-line winds travelled through the west Manitoba Friday night. A private weather station near Boissevain, Man., reported a 114 km/h wind gust from the system.

"It got dark. We lost power right away. We went out to look, and it was here," Daly said. "The trees were going down everywhere. But nobody got hurt."

Daly and her husband had just stepped outside to check on an awning on the side of their building when a tree crashed onto the deck in front of them, she said.

"My husband said, 'Well, we should put that awning in,' and I said 'It's too late.' And I no sooner said that than this great big tree at the end of our deck, you know a great big 40-footer, huge tree — it just crashed down right in front of us and across the deck," she said.

"We just didn't even have time to go, because then all the trees just started going down like matchsticks. They just kept coming down."

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Daly said the storm passed within five minutes.

"We didn't have a chance to run," she said. "I mean, the people that were in one of the campers, they started to come towards the store but then the tree fell on top of the deck and they couldn't, they couldn't get in because the deck was all twisted."

One couple was in a tent trailer when a tree fell on top of it, but they weren't injured, Daly said. A boat that was still on the lake managed to get in safely. Falling trees damaged the store's eavestrough, deck and ramp and pulled some shingles off the roof, but overall, Daly said she feels lucky.

"I think everybody down here is lucky," she said.

The campers have all gone home and the power remains out, but Daly said nearby cottagers have come in to help clean up trees.

"I'm just very thankful for all the people that are helping us here," she said. We have a wonderful bunch of people that have come down and helped us, and they're also pretty much in the same boat."

A Manitoba Hydro spokesperson said around 4,600 people lost power due to the storm in the communities of Ninette, Killarney, Baldur, Lena, Neelin, Pilot Mound and Cartwright. Most of them have gotten power back already, he said.

'It just came with a vengeance'

The storm left behind three broken poles, numerous trees on power lines, one downed line and one blown transformer.

It also damaged several farms in the area, including several silos. 

Scott Kroeker said a wall of clouds formed in a matter of seconds at his farm north of Killarney.

"All of a sudden there was just a sheet of white coming across the field," he said. "It wasn't hail, it was rain, and it just came with a vengeance."

Five minutes later, the roof and side of his 42-foot grain bin had been caved in.

The approximately 1,000-tonne bin was empty at the time, Kroeker said. He suspects that's why it collapsed. A smaller bin was also damaged and his neighbour lost some trees, but Kroeker said the damage in his area was otherwise minimal.

Kroeker guessed the bin was worth $25,000 to $35,000, although he has insurance and hopes to be able to salvage some of the steel.

He said the damage is just part of farming.

"It was a much-needed rain, so we're thankful for the rain, and if it takes losing a bin to get a good crop, I guess that's what we've got to do, right?" he said.