Loud thunder and bright lightning illuminated Metro Vancouver and parts of B.C.’s South Coast on Friday morning. According to Environment Canada, a yellow warning for a “severe thunderstorm” was issued for various locations in Metro Vancouver around 8 a.m. PT, with Belcarra being pinpointed as the center of the storm. Areas such as Seymour Heights, Deep Cove, and Mount Seymour Park were also identified as potentially affected.
Reports of lightning strikes were detected in Vancouver, North Vancouver, and Burnaby by Environment Canada. The agency explained that severe thunderstorm warnings are issued when there is a high likelihood of damaging hail, wind, or rain from imminent or ongoing thunderstorms. It advised individuals to seek immediate shelter if a thunderstorm is approaching and to shield themselves from potential hazards like flying debris and hail.
Meteorologist Brian Proctor from Environment Canada noted that overnight thunderstorms had been occurring over the North Shore and Vancouver Island mountains. He described this pattern as typical for nocturnal thunderstorms and mentioned incidents of hail and flooding in north Burnaby, a neighboring suburb of Vancouver. Proctor highlighted that while thunderstorms are somewhat uncommon in the Vancouver-Squamish region, they are not unheard of, especially during the overnight and early morning hours.
Over the course of a 12-hour period overnight, approximately 1,600 lightning strikes were recorded across southern B.C., including Vancouver Island, which Proctor indicated was slightly above the norm for those hours. The B.C. Wildfire Service suspects that four wildfires on Vancouver Island were ignited by lightning strikes. Proctor cautioned residents to remain vigilant as more thunderstorms were expected to persist into Friday evening and the weekend, advising them to seek shelter indoors upon hearing thunder as a precautionary measure.