Environment Canada confirms at least 3 tornadoes touched down in Manitoba Tuesday

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At least three tornadoes touched down in southern Manitoba on Tuesday, according to Canada’s national weather service.

Environment and Climate Change Canada says a brief tornado was observed at approximately 4:30 p.m. CT near Manitou, 123 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg.

The second and third confirmed tornadoes were spotted about 45 minutes later south of Carman, 75 km southwest of Winnipeg.

Environment Canada says it learned about all three twisters through video posted on social media. As of 9:51 p.m. CT, it had received no reports of damage.

Jorge Angeles was driving home from his job in Winkler around 4:30 p.m. CT when he spotted the angry, swirling skies ahead.

“The clouds — they were turning, and it was starting to get dark outside … and a little bit windy,” he said.

“To me, it looked like the starting of a tornado.”

Angeles decided to pull off of Highway 3 and take a photo, which he sent to his wife and sister-in-law, who posted it to Facebook.

Because his wife “loves watching storms,” Angeles decided to take her for a drive once he arrived at their home in Darlingford, 12 km east of Manitou.

They followed the fast-moving storm north but thought better of it when their phones started going off, alerting them to the tornado warning issued by Environment Canada.

“My wife, she’s pregnant, and when I saw the big cloud moving fast, well, I thought about her, and I wanted to get home,” Angeles said.

Grey and white clouds threaten in the sky above a city street. — Clouds fill the sky over Brandon, Man., as much of southern Manitoba was under a severe thunderstorm watch. (Michele McDougall/CBC)

The tornadoes were part of a system that swept through southern Manitoba late Tuesday afternoon and through the evening.

Along with the tornado warnings, Environment Canada issued severe thunderstorm watches for virtually the entire region, although most had been lifted by 11 p.m. CT.

A possible fourth tornado was also reported in western Manitoba, near Dauphin, 249 km northwest of Winnipeg. Environment Canada said Tuesday night it didn’t have enough evidence to confirm the tornado, but said meteorologists were continuing to investigate.

Environment Canada says it’s seeking photos of each of the reported tornadoes and any damage they may have caused.