Property owners warned of big waves, possible ice pileup on Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba

A wind alert was issued Wednesday for Manitoba's biggest lakes.

The south basins of Lake Manitoba andLake Winnipeg, as well as the Victoria Beach area, could see big waves and possible ice pileup, said the Hydrologic Forecast Centre of Manitoba Infrastructure.

"The lake wind effect forecast forthis afternoon and tomorrowsuggests a strong wind effectwith especially strong effects expected for the Victoria Beach area," said the centre.

"Wind speed and direction could raise levels by as much as three to five feet with the highest setup occurring because of the strongest winds.In addition, these winds can result in significant wave action on shorelines."

By mid-afternoon Wednesday, Manitoba Hydro said 2,700 customers in the Thompson and Cross Lake areas were without power due to outages caused by the high winds.

CBCmeteorologist John Sauder said the wind is the result of a low pressure system currently dumping snow on Churchill.

"There's a cold front that swings down into southern Manitoba and early this afternoon that cold front is swinging through and there's a lot of [north] wind behind it."

The Red River Valley will see gusts of about 60 km/h, but over the lakes, that could go up to 70 or 80 km/h, he said. That's the result of the north wind travelling far over a relatively smooth surface Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba.

On the leeward side of the lakes, that means big waves. Sauder said there is still some ice on the lakes. "That could make its way into the southbasin and do some damage as well.

Both Sauder and the province said property owners should take precautions.