This Thanksgiving weekend marks one year since a historic winter storm hit the province that saw heavy snow blanket the region, and high winds knock out power and other services for days on end in some areas.
As Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist, Sara Hoffman, explains, it was all caused by a low pressure system that swung up from the United States and stalled over southern Manitoba, continuing to spin over the area throughout the weekend.
What made the system more impactful, says Hoffman, was that for the most part, there was still foliage on the trees that captured the wet, heavy snow and caused branches to break, resulting in widespread power outages. She adds the effects were then exacerbated by "incredible" wind gusts in the neighbourhood of 80 km/h. According to Hoffman, the strongest gust reported to the agency was 101 km/h at Eden, Manitoba. As well, she says the impacts of the excessive moisture dropped by the system were felt long after it passed as the storm hit during a time when there was an elevated flood risk, particularly in the southeast and along the Red River Valley.