Environment and Climate Change Canada continues to investigate the short, yet powerful storm that swept through the region over the Noon hour Wednesday. 

Carman Mayor Brent Owen says the surge in water left behind minimal damage, noting the water receded into the sewer system within the hour. Submitted by Marge Warkintin.

Photos of metal roofing being torn off a building in Altona, and a trampoline resting in some power lines after being picked up by a wind gust, have people wondering if a small tornado tore through the community. Read more: Hydro  Restored In Altona, Storm Burst Calls Out Emergency Crews

"We certainly had a frontal structure go through the area at the time, and we tend to see a lot of convection," said meteorologist, Natalie Hasell. "The difficulty is that thunderstorms can generate winds in two ways," she added. "There is  the much-hyped tornado, which is actually quite rare, and then there's the straight-line wind which comes out of a different part of the storm. The tornado is part of the updraft, the downdraft creates the straight-line winds, and straight-line winds can be just as significant as some tornadoes with respect to wind strength, and because they travel away from the storm, the damage associated with them can be more widespread as well. Sometimes they happen in close succession, so they could be interfering with each other as well."

As part of the investigation, people with photos or video of the storm, or its aftermath, are asked to submit them to Environment Canada's severe weather reporting account - mbstorm@canada.ca. 

"I would prefer that people take shelter during a storm instead of taking photos, but photos do happen," said Hasell, adding photos of damage after-the-fact are also helpful in gaining a general idea of what happened on the ground. "Again, I'd rather people take shelter, I'm not suggesting people go out of their way for us, that's certainly not what I'm saying, but if somebody happened to be there and was safe and comfortable enough to take that imagery, please do share."

In Carman, Hasell says about 75 mms of rain fell within a 24-hour period, however half of that - about 38 mms - fell between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. Wednesday, causing streets to flood and overwhelm local infrastructure.

"It's definitely been a busy last several days and it's not stopping," added Hasell, noting more storms are in the forecast for today. "Most of the more severe stuff is expected through Saskatchewan today, but we still have thunderstorms in southern Manitoba in the forecast."

She urges people to pay attention to the forecast, to their surroundings and to have access to shelter.