Fierce winds cause damage in rain drenched Saskatchewan

Super strong winds gusting to over 100 km/h ripped through Saskatchewan Tuesday knocking out power, large trees and toppling a semi-trailer truck on the Trans-Canada highway west of Moose Jaw.

Much of the province had already endured a fierce thunderstorm on Monday night that drenched many communities with torrential rain.

Tuesday's storm also brought heavy rain to areas around Moose Jaw, Regina and east to Manitoba.

Regina had recorded 79 millimetres of rain from the Monday downpour. The weather office said that by Wednesday morning another 50 to 110 millimetres of total precipitation was likely.

"Wind gusts near 90 km/h have been observed in the Moose Jaw and Assiniboia regions," the weather office said at 3 p.m. CST. The weather office said the winds will diminish as the system moves east.

The wind also caused travel disruptions. West of Moose Jaw, on the Trans-Canada Highway, a semi-trailer was seen toppled by the side of the road.

Regina's major expressway, Ring Road, was slowed for a while due to fencing that had blown onto the road near the overpass at Ross Ave.

Power outages

The wind storm was also linked to several power outages, according to tweets from SaskPower. Neighbourhoods in Regina and Moose Jaw were without power for several hours due to damaged power lines.

Queen City Ex

The nasty weather led to the cancellation of a parade and fireworks to usher in the Queen City Ex, Regina's annual fair.

The parade, which was set for Tuesday night, was cancelled a few hours ahead of the start time.

However, the fair itself — with midway rides and games — is still set to open Wednesday at noon.

"It's the first time we've really had to deal with some crazy weather and it's been for 48 hours," Josh Shaw, events manager for Evraz Place, said Tuesday. "The midway guys and the concessionaire people are really battling out there to get set up in time to be ready for tomorrow. It's really something we haven't seen before."

The weather forecast calls for a return to sunny skies on Wednesday.