About 4,500 Manitoba Hydro customers remained without power Monday night after a storm system brought rain and snow to many parts of the province throughout the day.

In areas where the rain turned into snow, it was heavy and wet, causing trees to buckle and power lines to snap. High winds at times added to the widespread power outages, a news release from Hydro said.

More than 12,000 customers were affected at one point.

“Manitoba Hydro assigned additional crews to respond, but with hundreds of outages over wide areas of the province and some weather-related road closures, the utility was unable to reach and repair all damage Monday,” the release said.

The majority of customers who remain without power are in northern Manitoba, but some are in eastern and western areas of the province.

Hydro will update restoration times as crews are able to assess damage and begin repairs Tuesday, the release said.

Updated information on restoration times will be posted on Manitoba Hydro’s social media channels.

Broken power poles lean against one another near snow-covered trees.Manitoba Hydro is dealing with broken power poles from the heavy snow. This image is from the northern Interlake region on Monday. (Manitoba Hydro/Bluesky)

Environment Canada issued a snowfall warning early Monday, saying general snowfall amounts of 10-25 centimetres were expected from the storm, though parts of northern Manitoba could see in excess of 30 cm.

Kyle McAulay, operational meteorologist with Environment Canada, said the system started off as rain and shifted to snow as it moved farther north and into colder air.

Snow Lake received the largest amount of snow, with an estimated 35 cm, while Thompson saw 20 cm and Flin Flon had 12.

Liquid measures in millimetres were also taken, combining rain and snow that melted. The following communities received the most:

The Pas: 67.5 mm.Westray: 61.4 mm.Swan River: 52.4 mm.Durban: 52.1 mm.Grand Rapids: 48.6 mm.William River: 46.2 mm.Thompson: 38.7 mm.Norway House: 33.3 mm.Flin Flon: 21.7 mm.

Those figures are expected to rise in several locations as the powder snow turns to liquid, McAulay said.

“I would say it’s probably mostly going to melt … if it hasn’t already,” he said. Mostly sunny skies and daytime temperatures around 5 C are expected around Thompson and other areas.

Anyone who sees a downed power line should remain at least 10 metres away and call 911.

Customers without power can report outages online or by calling 1-888-624-9376.