Several tornadoes tore through an area of southwestern Manitoba on the evening of May 22, toppling trees and overturning grain bins, but causing no injuries.
“It was a little scary,” said Janet Turtle, who lives east of Minto, Man., and stayed outside to watch the funnels passing through her area. “There were four going all at the same time.”
Trevor Mealy and his family hunkered down in their basement as two tornadoes twirled by their home six kilometres west of Minto. Mealy was able to watch out a basement window as his barn disappeared from sight, hidden by the dirt swept up by one of the tornadoes.
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“It was wild,” Mealy said. “I was expecting to see something flattened or some trees torn down.”
Although branches were ripped off trees at his farm, Mealy said the barn remained standing. He heard reports later of trees being uprooted and bins being toppled in the area.
Donna and Dennis Fraser, who farm south of Fairfax, Man., didn’t know the tornadoes were coming until high winds struck and the daylight turned to darkness.
Their house has no windows to the west, the direction from which the tornado approached before passing by their home.
“The next thing you know the wind was blowing and the house was creaking,” Fraser said.
Branches were also torn off trees in the Frasers’ yard and a radio tower was knocked down.
