Canada’s national weather service is warning West Coast residents to expect thunder, lightning and rain for an enormous swath of British Columbia starting tonight.
Environment and Climate Change Canada says severe thunderstorms could be in the mix for the southern interior of the province, with high winds and 10 to 20 millimetres of rain expected from Vancouver to Kelowna.
Luckily there are no extreme thunderstorm warnings in place at this point, nor any exceptional weather hazards like tornadoes forecast. There are expectations of hail for the northeastern corner of the province, near Fort Nelson, as well as a large central section of the province centered around Prince George.
While the rain is helpful as the province’s wildfire season begins in earnest, thunderstorms also bring lightning, which caused hundreds of wildfires alone last year. Lightning strikes have already caused two wildfires this season.
Kyla Fraser of the BC Wildfire Service says there isn’t much you can do prevent lightning-caused wildfires, but people should take the opportunity this long weekend to clear out any leaves from gutters or eaves, and off of decks as well.
“If something can catch fire, don’t let it touch your home,” she said in an interview Wednesday afternoon.
She added that the organization’s main concern with lightning strikes is the causing of holdover fires, where ignition is started underground, trapping heat below wet leaves, grass and earth until its dry enough to erupt.
Environment Canada predicts the subsequent rain to last for about 48 hours along the southern coast and clear up by the weekend.
