Sunset and severe thunderstorms spawn spectacular sights Saturday over Vancouver Island

It’s been quite the show out on the bluff in Port Angeles Saturday evening. They’ve had a few thunderstorms pass by some distance away at times this afternoon and evening, but one cell in particular made it over the Olympics, across the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and then exploded to life when it reached Vancouver Island.

Some crazy lightning going on over Vancouver Island (looking north from Port Angeles) pic.twitter.com/QScDMp8YsY

— Scott Sistek (@ScottSeattleWx) August 23, 2026

Environment Canada (essentially the Canadian National Weather Service) issued what had to be one of the few Severe Thunderstorm Warnings they’ve ever had to give for Vancouver Island (and a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for Vancouver!).

Aside from damaging wind gusts, Environment Canada warned the storms could bring “Loonie (hah! Luv you, Canada!) to ping pong size hail” (A loonie is the $1 Canadian coin — a little larger than an American quarter, I’d guess…)

My parents had a front row seat to the fireworks from their perch in Port Angeles, first with the spectacular sunset mixed in as the thunderstorm had just left American side of the border heading north, and then the light show as the thunderstorms blossomed with frequent lightning.