A violent storm that swept through Southern Manitoba early Saturday morning left many without power, some up to 36 hours as Manitoba Hydro crews worked to clear downed trees.

Manitoba Hydro Public Affairs Officer Bruce Owen explains crews worked around the clock to keep up with the high volume of calls. He notes in many cases trees were blown down on hydro lines.

"We had a number of poles and obviously wires down," he says. "That was by far the most common problem we had almost across Southern Manitoba."

With trees in full foliage and heavily soaked by the rain, the strong winds break boughs which then take out power lines, he says, adding their first priority in these type of situations is always live wires. However, he thanked customers' for their patience and understanding.

Highways in the Whiteshell are also being repaired following the weekend storms. More than five inches of rain hit areas including Falcon Lake and Caddy Lake Saturday morning, washing out roads, eroding shoulders and resulting in culverts letting go.