Lightning strikes up tenfold as Canada battles forest fires and heatwaves.

 Extract from ABC News

Posted Yesterday at 1:10pm, updated Yesterday at 1:13pm

Wildfires triggered by lightning threaten residents in Canada's west.

An abnormally high number of lightning strikes is adding to the problems of Canada's emergency services dealing with forest fires fanned by high winds and record temperatures.

Key points:

• The number of lightning strikes recorded in western Canada is 10 times higher compared to the same time a year ago
• Meteorologists say a stormy weekend could add to a worsening wildfire situation
• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Canadian government will "help rebuild and help people come through this"

Lightning strikes are 10 times higher compared to the same time a year ago, meteorologists said, warning of a stormy weekend that could add to a worsening situation in the western part of the nation.

More than 710,000 lightning strikes were recorded in British Columbia and western Alberta between 3:00pm on Wednesday and 6:00am on Thursday.

This is up from an average 8,300 from the same period over the past five years, said meteorologist Chris Vagasky.

The Pacific province of British Columbia has been recovering from the grip of an unprecedented heatwave.

It has caused 719 confirmed deaths, three times more than what would normally occur in the same time period, according to the province's coroner.

During the heatwave, the town of Lytton broke a Canadian temperature record that had stood for more than 80 years, with 49.6 degrees Celsius.

Western Canada is dealing with wildfires caused by record-high temperatures and strong winds.

(AP: Darryl Dyck)

A forest fire that started on Wednesday razed Lytton to the ground, causing two deaths. 

British Columbia usually accounts for about 5 per cent of Canada's total lighting strikes each year, but had reported its annual number in less than 48 hours, Mr Vagasky said.

"It's comparable to what you would typically see on some of the bigger lightning days in really lightning-prone regions of the United States, like Texas or Oklahoma," Mr Vagasky said.

He added that it was unheard of for a region like British Columbia.

The high number of lightning strikes was caused, in part, by the heatwave, said Jonathan Bau, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.

He explained that the higher temperatures created high levels of moisture in the atmosphere in the form of melting snow and evaporation of water from vegetation, fuelling unusually fierce thunderstorms.

 "We're not in the middle of summer where everything's dried out," Mr Bau said, adding that more lightning was forecast for the weekend.

The strikes caused several forest fires across central British Columbia, with 136 fires burning as of Friday afternoon, officials said at a briefing.

Canada's heatwave has seen temperatures climb towards 50 degrees Celsius.

(Reuters: Jennifer Gauthier)

The fires are expected to burn through 100,000 hectares by the end of the weekend, officials said, a significantly higher figure than by this point in previous years.

British Columbia does not usually see its forest fire season ramp up until late July.

More than 1,300 households have been ordered to evacuate, and it is not known how many people are missing.

The Red Cross is running a phone line for family reunions, officials said.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged that the federal government would "help rebuild and help people come through this."

Wires/ABC