More than 17,800 lightning strikes detected in BC last week

More than 17,800 lighting strikes hit the province between Aug. 10 and Aug. 13, according to the BC Wildfire Service.

The weather event began on Wednesday and persisted until early Saturday, before it began to move north into the Prince George fire centre.

According to the BCWS, a “subtropical feed of moisture and instability” was the cause of the storms.

“Historically, August is BC’s second most active lightning month after July, so this weather is not unusual,” explains the agency.

“However, four successive days of widespread convection is noteworthy.”

Between August 10 and 13 the province of B.C. has been struck by lightning more than 17,830 times.

— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) August 14, 2022

On Wednesday, there were 4,018 total strikes detected across BC. Thursday saw 5,205 strikes while Friday saw a total of 8,607.

Here is a breakdown of lightning strikes recorded for the provincial fire centres on Friday, Aug. 12:

• Coastal: 668

• Northwest: 2,016

• Prince George: 2,041

• Kamloops: 2,016

• Cariboo: 433

• Southeast: 784

According to fire information officer Taylor Colman, the weather pattern made its move north Saturday night where the Prince George and Northwest fire centres saw a little more than 16,000 lightning strikes.

During the end of last week, more than 140 new wildfires were started by the widespread lighting storms.

Fortunately, the BCWS was prepared for the weather event and strategically positioned resources to respond to new fires.

As a result, more than half of those wildfires are now classified as out, being held or under control.

Thumbnail photo credit: 123rf