Thunderstorms moving across British Columbia’s Southern Interior delivered a light show to Kamloops residents, and left people in Merritt dealing with flash flooding.
Much of southern B.C. was under severe thunderstorm warnings and watches Thursday afternoon.
Some Kamloops residents reported lightning flashes coming as quickly as once per minute as thunderclouds rolled over the community.
The City of Merritt issued a flash flooding warning Thursday afternoon, after a sudden downpour transformed some streets into small rivers.
The city warned people against walking or driving through water or puddles which could be of an indeterminate depth.
“Please avoid driving during this time. If you must drive, drive slowly through the water,” it said.
The rain and flooding also prompted the city to cancel a free music event with Bobby Garcia.
The BC Wildfire Service said the Kamloops Fire Centre had experienced more than 1,200 lightning strikes on Wednesday.
The series of thunderstorms has the service on high alert, with crews on standby across the southern portion of the province in case the lightning sparked any new fires.