Tornado damage in Iowa

More tornadoes across

Midwest & Manitoba

A cool vaction....Well...I am back - pictures to follow soon. I spent a week along the Maine and New Hampshire coast, with a stopover in Boston to watch my Red Sox sweep Kansas City. The weather was, well lets just say not very good. The same upper level low that brought cool, showery and breezy weather to Ontario affected New England as well. It did not stop us from taking a walk along the beach but it was chilly.

The deadly tornado season that has come to define 2008 continued this past weekend with 8 more fatalities, mostly in Iowa. The storms spread from north Texas into the upper Midwest. The focus of severe weather will shift into the Great Lakes and eastern seaboard today. The first tornado of the season was even reported in southern Manitoba yesterday north of Emerson. No damage was reported. Thunderstorms are expected in our region this afternoon as a cold front moves into the area. Some may feature gusty winds and brief heavy downpours. Expect the balance of the week to be sunny and seasonable.

The same weather system affecting souther Ontario today is expected to dump some snow on the northwest part of the province around Timmins tonight. Yesterday the low pressure gave much needed rainfall to the southern prairies with 25-50mm across southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba.