Another night, another thunderous lightning show.
Environment Canada issued a Tuesday thunderstorm watch for B.C.’s Fraser Canyon, Nicola, Similkameen and South Okanagan regions.
“Conditions are favourable for the development of severe thunderstorms that may be capable of producing strong wind gusts, large hail and heavy rain,” reads the missive from the national weather agency.
As British Columbians know, storms also come with a risk of fire.
BC Wildfire information officer Andrea Heath said in the last 24 hours the province had 73 new fires, meaning there are currently 217 active wildfires.
“So some of those new fire starts are due to the lightning strikes that we saw,” Heath said.
In total, Heath said there were 9,345 lightning strikes recorded in the province in the last 24 hours.
The majority were in the Cariboo Fire Centre, which saw 4,347 strikes, and then the Prince George Fire Centre saw 2,851. Next in line was the Kamloops Fire Centre which saw 1,156 strikes.
“It’s typical for this time of year and the way that the weather patterns are currently. We are seeing hot and dry weather in the day and convective cells in the afternoon and evening,” Heath said.
The good news, however, is that they did see a lot of precipitation with those lightning strikes, and Health pointed out that tends to keep fire at bay.
BC Wildfire is also keeping an eye on tonight’s storms tracking through the South East fire centre, where it’s warm and dry but not unseasonably so.