Severe thunderstorm watch in place for much of Vancouver Island

A severe thunderstorm watch was issued for most of Vancouver Island Monday, adding to smoke and heat alerts that cover other parts of B.C.

Environment Canada issued the watch for the north, east and inland sections of the island at around 12:40 p.m. PT, saying that conditions were ripe for thunderstorms "that may be capable of producing strong wind gusts, large hail and heavy rain."

It is advising residents to go indoors when they hear thunder.

On Sunday, the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) had said that forecast lightning could lead to new fire starts across the island due to the extended drought that has left forests susceptible to fires.

The provincial wildfire map shows at least seven new wildfires sparked by lightning on Monday, five of which are within Strathcona Provincial Park on Vancouver Island.

Across the province, more than 380 fires were burning on Monday evening — 84 per cent of which were sparked due to lightning or other natural causes, according to the BCWS.

In a series of tweets on Monday evening, the service said that Vancouver Island was experiencing a severe thunderstorm event with scattered lightning, and urged residents to report any lightning-caused wildfires.

"When lightning strikes, it can release enough heat to ignite a tree or other fuels," the tweets read. "Lightning activity is expected to continue through the evening and may also spread to mainland sections of the Coastal Fire Centre."

Heat, smoke warnings

Air quality advisories stemming from wildfire smoke remain in effect for B.C.'s South Coast and southern Interior, along with parts of the north from the Bulkley Valley to the Peace region.

Environment Canada has also issued a heat warning for inland sections of the North Coast, including Terrace and Kitimat, as well as the Peace region.

Daytime highs near 30 C are expected to persist until Tuesday near the coast and Wednesday in northeastern B.C., the weather office said.

Philippe-Alain Bergeron, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, told CBC News on Sunday that temperatures are expected to be around 10 degrees higher than seasonal norms in the northeast, around Fort Nelson, during the heat wave.

"We know there [are] many fires and activity in the general vicinity, so it could become smoky also, especially on Tuesday with the potential wind shift," he said.