Steinbach was hit with a mid-day thunderstorm on Thursday.

Earlier in the afternoon, Environment Canada had issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for the southeast corner of our province. Shortly before 2:30 pm, the sky opened up, which minutes later turned into a downpour. 

By 3 pm, half an inch of rain had fallen in Steinbach, coming down at a rate of about one inch per hour. The rain temporarily flooded some streets. There was also a power outage felt in parts of the city.

At 3:38 pm, Environment Canada issued a tornado warning for Steinbach and area.

Parts of the southeast, including Steinbach are now under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning. Environment Canada meteorologists are tracking a severe thunderstorm capable of producing very strong wind gusts, up to nickel size hail and heavy rain.

Environment Canada says heavy downpours can cause flash floods and water pooling on roads. Large hail can damage property and cause injury. Strong wind gusts can toss loose objects, damage weak buildings, break branches off trees and overturn large vehicles. Remember, severe thunderstorms can produce tornadoes.

Severe thunderstorm warnings are issued when imminent or occurring thunderstorms are likely to produce or are producing one or more of the following: large hail, damaging winds and torrential rainfall.