Winnipeg sits on Canada’s Prairies, where a dry continental climate means annual precipitation is modest, but spring snowmelt combined with rain can raise rivers quickly, and summer brings the risk of intense, fast-moving thunderstorms.
At the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, the city built the massive Red River Floodway after the devastating 1950 flood, and it remains one of Canada’s most important pieces of flood infrastructure. Because the region’s flat terrain and clay-rich soil drain slowly, a heavy spring or summer storm on already-saturated ground can produce flooding well out of proportion to the region’s usual dry conditions, making radar useful for tracking storm cells across the open landscape. Learn more: Flash Flood Warning Signs on Radar · Open the full Rain Map