Here we go again.
On August 22, Vancouver experienced the biggest lightning event ever recorded in the city.
More than 1,700 lightning strikes were recorded around Vancouver, with more than 7,000 recorded across B.C. The storm knocked out power, disrupted flights, sparked wildfires and brought extraordinary electrical activity to the South Coast.
And now, less than a week later, thunderstorms are back in the forecast.
For Lions Bay, Environment Canada is forecasting a risk of thunderstorms early this evening, with another risk of thunderstorms Friday afternoon. The North Shore forecast also has a risk of thunderstorms early tonight, with unsettled weather continuing into Friday.
Mountain forecast models are showing thunderstorm activity over our local peaks as well.
Thunderstorms aren't as routine here as they are in places like Colorado or the Alberta Rockies, so lightning safety isn't necessarily ingrained in our mountain culture in the same way.
During the August 22 storm, two hikers on the Howe Sound Crest Trail were caught overnight near Magnesia Meadows. The Magnesia Meadows emergency shelter was only about 200 metres away, but during the height of the storm they were afraid to leave their tent and cross the meadow because they believed they might be struck by lightning.
That's understandable, a tent can feel like protection, but it's not a lightning shelter.
The Magnesia Meadows emergency shelter is fully grounded and provides lightning protection. The emergency shelter above Brunswick Lake is similarly protected.
So with thunderstorms once again in the forecast, let's talk about what modern lightning guidance actually tells us to do in the mountains — because some of the advice many of us learned years ago has changed.
MY OWN LIGHTNING LESSON
The worst lightning storm I've experienced was on a solo peak-bagging trip near Chilliwack trying to do Stewart, Knight, and Baby Munday. It was a beautiful sunny day, and I was on the second of three peaks when I saw a wall of black moving toward me. Then I heard something I'll never forget: hissing and buzzing. Within moments the storm was on top of me — hail, lightning and almost complete whiteout conditions. The electrical noise was deafening.
My Garmin 64st had been actively tracking my route. As the lightning exploded around me, it abruptly shut off and wouldn't restart. Now I was alone, in a whiteout, with no electronic navigation.
I threw away my crampons and ice axe because I'd always heard metal attracts lightning. I considered hiding under a rock overhang and tried to remember all the advice I'd heard over the years. Was I supposed to get small, crouch down or stand on one leg?
I genuinely didn't know.
So I ran downhill.
Some of what I did was right. Some was based on old advice. Here's what modern lightning guidance tells us.
THE PRIORITY: ACTIVE EVACUATION
If you're on a summit, ridge or exposed alpine feature, move toward safer terrain while you can still do so safely.
Get lower. Get less exposed. Move toward dense forest or, ideally, a proper lightning-protective building or enclosed hard-topped vehicle.
The key is to move early. If lightning is already striking around you or your descent involves cliffs, technical terrain or flooding, don't turn a lightning emergency into a fall or terrain emergency.
If you're travelling in a group, spread out by roughly 15–20 metres rather than huddling together. This reduces the chance that a single strike or ground current incapacitates everyone and hopefully leaves someone able to call for help and provide first aid.
MOVE EARLY → GET LOWER → GET LESS EXPOSED → SPREAD OUT → SEEK PROPER SHELTER
IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER, TAKE ACTION
If you can hear thunder, you're already close enough to be struck. You can estimate the distance to a strike by counting the seconds between the flash and boom and dividing by three:
3 seconds ≈ 1 km
6 seconds ≈ 2 km
15 seconds ≈ 5 km
30 seconds ≈ 10 km
For our US friends - divide by 5 for miles. Shortening intervals can tell you a storm is getting closer, but don't use the calculation to decide you're safe. Lightning can strike well away from the rain or apparent centre of a storm.
If you can hear thunder, treat it as a hazard and start moving toward safer terrain.
CAMPING HIGH? YOUR TENT ISN'T SHELTER
If you're camped on an exposed ridge or high alpine plateau and a storm is approaching, don't assume crawling into your tent makes you safe.
Move early. Prioritize getting people out of exposed terrain over carefully packing camp. Take what you need to move safely and descend toward a lower-risk location.
If a proper lightning-protective shelter is nearby, use it.
On the Howe Sound Crest Trail, the emergency shelters at Magnesia Meadows and above Brunswick Lake are both protected against lightning.
Knowing where emergency infrastructure exists along your route can completely change your options when conditions deteriorate.
FORGET THE "LIGHTNING CROUCH"
Many of us were taught to crouch down, balance on the balls of our feet or otherwise make ourselves small. The U.S. National Weather Service no longer recommends the lightning crouch. It provides little meaningful protection. Your priority is getting out of dangerous terrain, not perfecting a body position. Don't lie flat either; ground current is an important mechanism of lightning injury.
METAL DOESN'T ATTRACT LIGHTNING
I didn't need to throw away my crampons and ice axe. Metal conducts electricity, but it doesn't attract lightning. Height, isolation and prominence matter much more.
Don't unnecessarily hold or remain in contact with conductive objects, but don't discard essential equipment you may need to descend safely.
A ROCK OVERHANG/CAVE MAY NOT BE SAFE
A shallow cave, alcove or rock overhang can look like shelter, but electrical current can travel across the rock and potentially jump across the opening through you.
Similarly, don't shelter beside an isolated tree. If you're below treeline with no proper shelter, lower terrain among a dense stand of smaller trees is preferable.
IF THE MOUNTAIN STARTS BUZZING, MOVE
This is the part of my own experience I understand very differently now. Electrical buzzing or humming, tingling sensations, hair standing up or equipment beginning to buzz can indicate a highly charged electrical environment associated with an imminent strike.
If the mountain starts buzzing, this is not the time to calculate how far away the lightning is.Get off the high point immediately.
DON'T GO BACK TOO SOON
Wait at least 30 minutes after the last thunder before returning to exposed terrain. And remember: there is no safe place outdoors during a thunderstorm. Everything we do once we're caught outside is risk reduction.
The best lightning strategy happens earlier: check the mountain forecast, watch the sky, know where emergency shelters are, and structure your day so you're off exposed summits and ridges before a storm arrives.
In places where afternoon thunderstorms are common, the “2 p.m. rule” holds hard: be off exposed summits and ridges before the afternoon storms arrive. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we tend to ignore it — perhaps because, historically, we've been able to. But trust us, you do not want the mountain to start buzzing before you decide it's time to go down.