Lightning strikes in Western Canada have surged over the past few days, triggered in part by an unprecedented heatwave that also induced wildfires, Reuters reports.
The big picture: British Columbia, which usually accounts for about 5% of Canada's yearly lightning strike total, reported its annual number in less than 48 hours.
- A meteorologist, who tracks lightning, noted about 710,000 lightning events in British Columbia and Alberta Wednesday.
Driving the news: The onslaught of wildfires enduring in the area has resulted in a high moisture level in the atmosphere.
- The moisture ultimately fuels its own towering thunderstorms and a surge of lightning strikes that itself has caused several forest fires, per Reuters.
- The fires are expected to burn through 247,105 acres by the end of the weekend, a higher figure than in previous years.
Go deeper: Ferocious wildfires destroy British Columbia town amid historic heat
