THUNDER BAY - Mother Nature dazzled northwestern Ontario with thunderstorms that included an abundance of lightning activity Tuesday night.
Environment Canada issued a severe thunderstorm watch for areas west of Thunder Bay as a cold front moved easterly through the region.
TBT News video journalist Adam Riley captured the aerial display with a dash-mounted camera while travelling on Highway 17 between Ignace and Thunder Bay.
Meteorologist Jeff Coulson says more than 40 lightning strikes hit the ground in the immediate area of the city, and about 140 struck the ground in surrounding areas.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry also tracked the lightning activity, and will plan its aerial patrols for possible forest fire activity accordingly.
MNRF spokesperson Deb MacLean told Tbnewswatch.com that patrols will be directed in particular to areas of the northwest where lightning strikes occurred but rainfall was light or non-existent.
MacLean noted that it can take as long as a week for some lightning-sparked fires to develop to the point where they are detectable from an aircraft.
