Funnel clouds were spotted in the skies about three kilometres east of the Manitoba community of Manitou, and eyewitnesses in the area reported seeing at least one touch down.

Image | Tornado touches down near Manitou

Caption: Dayna Lea snapped this photo of what looks like a small tornado touching down near Manitou, Man. (Dayna Lea)

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A tornado warning was issued for the communities of Killarney, Pilot Mound and Manitou Wednesday afternoon and soon expanded to Morden, Winkler, Alton, Emerson and Morris.

The warnings ended after lasting about 90 minutes, but severe thunderstorm watches remained in effect for much of southwestern Manitoba into the early evening.

Megan Lea, 16, said she saw a small tornado touch down east of Manitou around 4 p.m.

"It was quite small to begin with, and it started coming down to the ground and then it hit the ground and started with a little bit of dust — nothing extreme by any means," she said. "Just dust was billowing up, and it moved slowly northwards through a field."

Lea said the small tornado caused no damage that she could see.

CBC Meteorologist John Sauder said it looked like a narrow tornado that most likely wouldn't last very long.