Temperature records shattered across Manitoba

Ice cream shops were hopping and water gushed out eavestroughs and along streets as warm temperatures rushed into southern Manitoba on the weekend.

A number of new records were set and many more are likely to be reached as the heat keeps rising throughout the week.

The forecast for southern Manitoba calls for double digits throughout, reaching 20 C in some places by Friday.

On Sunday, more than a dozen communities basked in a spring swelter on Sunday, including Winnipeg. The city reached a high of 12.8 C, edging out the old record of 12.5 C, set in 1981.

Wasagaming, the townsite in Riding Mountain National Park, was the provincial hot spot at 15.8 C.

In Winnipeg, city crews were busy clearing street drains deluged with water as the honks of returning geese sounded overhead.

Crews are also heading out to begin the annual pothole patching now that streets are clear of snow.

The normal daytime high for this time of year in Winnipeg is –2 C. The overnight low is – 12 C.

The low from Sunday into Monday, however, was a mild 6 C in the city.