A cluster of severe thunderstorms moving across Vancouver Island caused Environment ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ to issue a flurry of alerts on Sunday.
The storms — which the weather agency said were capable of producing nickel-sized hail — prompted a number of warnings covering an area from Duncan to Nanaimo starting Sunday afternoon.
Initially, Environment ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ said it was keeping tabs on two thunderstorms, one near Duncan and the other near Chemainus.
Shortly before 4:30 p.m., the weather agency issued a warning for a cluster of severe thunderstorms spread out from Nanaimo Airport to Crofton moving northwesterly at 20 to 30 km/h.
Environment ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ warned that people should take cover and go indoors if they see threatening weather approaching or hear thunder.
The projected winds are strong enough to down power lines, overturn large vehicles, and damage buildings, it said.
Large hail from the storms can cause injury and property damage, it said.
Saturday night’s storm in Victoria brought hundreds of stormwatchers in their vehicles to Dallas Road.
The storms are being caused by a weather front moving up from the Oregon and Washington coast that crossed into ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ on Saturday evening,
From 2007-2017, ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ saw an average of 180 lightning-related injuries each year, according to research from Environment ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½.
An average of two to three Canadians died of lightning-related causes annually in the same period.
