Update 6 p.m.
The rain today is helping firefighting efforts in the Kamloops Fire Centre.
The B.C Wildfire Service provided the following updates:
With cooler temperatures and precipitation in the region, the Kathleen Mountain Wildfire 26 km’s west of Peachland, is now classified as under control at 10 hectares.
The Shovelnose Mountain Wildfire 30 km’s south of Merritt is now classified as being held at 15 hectares. Cloud cover and precipitation continue to help suppression efforts.
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The skies lit up on Saturday night with one of the most spectacular lightning storms in recent memory.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of lighting strikes, could be seen throughout the night, starting west of Vernon, then moving to the north and east, in a storm that hit many parts of B.C.
“I counted 276 flashes in 15 minutes. Can’t remember the last time we had such an Epic lightning show!,” said one comment on the Beach Radio Facebook page.
“Over 400 lightening flashes last night around Vernon. I’ve never seen anything like it in my 65 years of living here in B.C.,” said another.
Another #bcstorm shot from @SalmonArmBC @WCAcarnival pic.twitter.com/Wn6NMVWB55
— pugfeet (@caledreid) September 8, 2019
While the ‘light show’ was spectacular to watch, it was also terrifying, given the thought that each lightning strike could potentially be causing a wildfire somewhere.
Fortunately, much of the storm was accompanied by rain, which would douse some possible fires.
The B.C. Wildfire Service has yet to comment today on the impact of the storm, as far as new fires starts.