Manitoba Hydro crews have been toiling to restore power to tens of thousands of Manitobans after a mammoth spring storm toppled power lines and poles across the province. The Crown corporation said in an update Wednesday night about 17,000 customers were back online with progress continuing. “We’re anticipating having almost all customers back on by end of day June 11,” Hydro posted on its X page Wednesday night. At its height, the storm, which Hydro described as one of the most destructive in recent memory, had knocked out power to about 25,000 Manitobans. The city was also inundated with calls for help with cleanup, with officials warning those contacting 311 to expect longer than average wait times as crews tended to malfunctioning traffic signals, downed trees and sewer backups. The culprit behind the cleanup – an intense and long-lasting storm that produced inches of heavy rain, ping pong sized hail, damaging winds, numerous reports of funnel clouds and two confirmed tornadoes. Meanwhile, more inclement weather is on the horizon, with a chance of rainfall and thunderstorms through much of the south and a rainfall warning through the northeast. “The situation is fluid—possibility of more severe weather coming that could affect our estimates. Appreciate your patience as we work safely to restore your power quickly as possible,” Hydro wrote.
