Over 200 lightning strikes blast B.C.'s South Coast overnight

Storms occasionally hit the South Coast of B.C. in springtime,but rarely do we get a loud display ofthunder andlightning like the system that quickly moved through the region on Monday evening into Tuesday.

Environment Canada says 232 lightning strikes hit the South Coast in a 12-hour period from 5p.m. PTMonday.

A total of 61 were measured across Metro Vancouver, according to CBC meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe, with the most rapid-fire spell happening between midnight and 1:30 a.m.

"We don't get this kind of convective line very often here in Vancouver, and even less so in May.So, pretty exciting," said Wagstaffe, who said the storm was caused by acold front colliding with a mass of muggy air.

"It was pretty impressive," said Environment Canada meteorologist Nan Lu. "This line moved across the area pretty quickly."

The storm was the talk of local social media overnight, with many people posting striking pictures and videos of lightning bolts across the region.

"Woke me out of a dead sleep. Wild," tweeted @BrentDargis.

"The thunder was so powerful it shook the window frames," wrote @kerriatid.

"I've never seen or heard thunder and lightning like this before" tweeted @AnthonyMAbbo

"Yesterday it was too hot. Tonight it's freezing cold. Gotta love Vancouver," wrote @Scenic_Route.

Several people said they hadn't seen a display like Mother Nature unleashed last nightsince they moved to Vancouver, and missed the familiarity ofthunder and lightning storms.

"I miss falling asleep to the sound of thunder," said @TheBookWormette.

@DukeDALang said his Prairie friends often scoff at Vancouver's "soft" weather, but last night he ventured outside and happily got soaked.

"Tonight was like a homecoming!" he wrote.

But for some,the stormdidn'thit as hard as they would have liked.@GhostTiffanywanted Langley to get thekind of wallopVancouver was experiencing.

"Gimme the lightning and thunder,you coward weather!" she wrote.

Environment Canada says the unstable air mass behind the cold front will be present throughout Tuesday, bringingmostly cloudy conditions and 60 per cent chance of showers witha slight risk of more thunderstorms.