Lightning hit a Courtenay man's roof. He felt the shock go through his leg

Cooper Prescott was sitting on his bed in Courtenay on Friday morning, both feet on the floor, when lightning struck the roof just outside his window. He felt a shock travel through his left leg, and still couldn't hear out of his left ear afterward. He wasn't seriously hurt, just "a bit shaken."

The strike also lit a small fire the family didn't notice until his mother, Angie, was already on the phone with 911. A neighbour had seen the flames and called it in. BC Hydro cut power to the home, and firefighters arranged emergency support for the family.

Courtenay's fire chief said it had been a long time since the valley saw an electrical storm like this one, with crews juggling roof fires, downed poles, flooded streets, and mutual aid from Cumberland and Comox. The bulk of the severe weather stayed north of Courtenay; Greater Victoria got thunder Thursday but nothing that hit Environment Canada's threshold. Closer to home, a Saanich crash Friday morning at Elk Lake and Royal Oak downed power lines and knocked out 157 customers, though police believe that was a driver medical incident, not the storm.