21 new heat records set on sweltering Father's Day in Manitoba

The extremely hot, humid weather that blanketed southern Manitoba on Sunday broke several records inthe region.

Emerson had the highest temperature, with 38 C, shattering the previous high for June 19 of 34.5 C set in 1995. In total, 21 new heat records were set on Sunday, said Environment Canada meteorologist James Colangello.

"It was quite the scorcher yesterday," he said in an interview with Marcy Markusa, host of CBC Manitoba's Information Radio.

Temperatures in many places reachedthe mid-30s, and with the humidity, those temperatures could feel like they were in the low to mid-40s, Colangello said.

Winnipeg hit 37 C at 6 p.m., with a humidex of 45, smashing the record of 32.6 C in 1986.

Tornado watches were issued in southwestern Manitoba, although there were no reports of any tornado sightings.

A storm system that moved in from southeast Saskatchewan brought golf ball-sized hail and strong winds.

"That kind of made its way through the Interlake, kind of north of the big heat bulge in the south part of the province," Colangello said.

Conditions were worse in Saskatchewan, where the storm produced baseball-sized hail and 100 km/hwinds snapped trees and power lines in places.

Extreme heat isn't unusual for this time of year, Colangellosaid.

"We do start to see it get really hot around the end of June here. This isn't particularly unusual, but it is kind of a shock to the system, because I guess this is kind of the first big heat event for southern Manitoba," he said.

There's a chance of more showers and thunderstorms this afternoon and into the evening, with heavy rain and a risk of hail, although Colangello said it won't be as significant as Sunday.