Massive maple tree crashes down, narrowly avoids parked cars as high winds wreak havoc
Posted May 31, 2022 5:09 pm.
Last Updated May 31, 2022 8:19 pm.
Kimber Osiowy says he woke up to the sound of a tree crashing down around 1:30 a.m. early Tuesday morning.
It turns out the tree was the one in his very front yard. It appears the roots were loosened in a ground already saturated with water, and the wind did the rest.
The falling tree severely damaged a row of cedar trees and Osiowy’s garden when it fell. Luckily the tree missed his home and fell just short of cars parked on the street.
“It came down and fortunately nobody was hurt,” he said.
BACKGROUND: More heavy rain, severe winds on the way for southern Manitoba
Falling trees are one of the things Winnipeggers and residents of southern Manitoba need to be mindful of this week as rainfall and wind warnings are in effect for many parts of the province.
According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, over the last 24 hours communities received between 35 to 63 mm of rainfall with wind gusts reaching 100 km/h in some areas.
#WATCH Heavy winds topple large tree in Winnipeg front yard. Nobody was injured but the house did sustain some damage.
More on storm: https://t.co/El2UpyxGai pic.twitter.com/sf5Wmppvb8
— CityNews Winnipeg (@CityNewsWPG) May 31, 2022
The weather proved too much for Osiowy’s massive maple tree.
“Yeah I was surprised for sure,” he said. “I thought the tree was in better shape than that, but I think the weight of it and the softened soil, that’s what did it. And yeah, it’s quite the mess and it hasn’t fully sunk in yet.
“Not too good for the garden, but all the rain we got I think that was the main cause.”
Chris Olson with T & T Tree Services says he has been getting more calls this year compared with previous years about downed trees.
Olson says last summer was a drought year and now with all the snow melt and relentless rainfall the soil is getting saturated so quickly it’s causing tree roots to slip out of the dirt. That’s what he believes happened to the otherwise very healthy, fully grown maple tree that was about 65 years old.
“With the weather and the excessive moisture, we are seeing a lot of tree failures, especially coupled with this wind,” said Olson.
“The roots just don’t have enough power to hold up the tree. Especially with the wind.”
Fallen tree on Kimber Osiowy’s property in Winnipeg. (Credit: CityNews/Mark Neufeld)
Osiowy did find a silver lining, saying the fallen tree will provide lots of free firewood, and clean-up efforts should begin shortly.
“We’ve contacted the city… I sent them the online note and I expect we will get a call back very soon,” he said.
The wind is also causing lake levels in some areas to rise to record levels. The Manitoba government’s most recent flood bulletin says with the gusting wind, Lake Winnipeg’s southern basin could exceed its highest recorded levels.
WATCH: High tides at Hecla Village pier (Credit: Iris Griffin / via Lake Winnipeg Ice Report)
Rick Gergaz, who monitors Lake Winnipeg conditions, says this kind of windstorm is the leading cause of boats capsizing and fatalities on the lake’s south basin.
“It breaks right over the bow of the vessel that you are in. Lake Winnipeg is not a small vessel lake, you need to really watch the conditions,” said Gergaz, the administrator for Lake Winnipeg Ice Report.
Meanwhile the rainfall continued Tuesday morning, pouring off sidewalks like waterfalls and filling up underpasses downtown, forcing drivers to abandon their vehicles.
At least three vehicles Tuesday morning were left floating in flood water pooling in Winnipeg’s McPhillips Street underpass.
