It's another beautiful start to the day in Winnipeg and southern Manitoba, but things aren't likely to stay that way.

"A potentially very active day on the severe storm front" is how CMOS accredited weathercaster Chris Sumner describes it.

Southwestern Manitoba can begin to experience thunderstorms by late this morning. The eastern half of the south, including Winnipeg, can expect to see rain and then storms beginning by late this afternoon.

The cause is a very slow moving low-pressure system moving in from North Dakota. David Baggaley, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, says. "The worry right now is severe wind accompanying these storms, with gusts up to 70 km/h. Those thunderstorms will be lasting most of the night, and there could be a significant amount of rainfall out of this."

Sumner says that we could see up to two inches of rain, as well as hail, and again, very strong winds.

"There still is some uncertainty on the timing and location for who is most at risk today," Sumner says. "The bottom line: being aware of the forecast, and taking necessary precautions of watches and warnings are issued will be key today."