A wild thunderstorm hit the region in full force Tuesday night causing a spectacular show of bolts of lightning arcing across darkened skies.

In Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows the show rolled in at 7: 30 p.m.

In Whonnock a tree was struck by lightning and the energy transferred to a gas line and ruptured the line, explained Howard Exner, Maple Ridge's assistant fire chief.

Pitt Meadows assistant fire chief Rob Chatton said the storm "was a great show."

"It was 7: 30 p.m. when it rolled through and then we recieved a rash of calls from it setting off alarms," said Chatton.

"Because of the power spikes, the alarms reacted and we chased around false alarms."

Small sections in both Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows suffered brief power outages, but none lasted more than 15 minutes.

Earlier in the week, on Sunday, the mercury rose to 32.9 C in Pitt Meadows. The hotter-than-hot reading broke its 2008 record for that day of 31.9 C.

Five other communities in B.C. also topped their own records, including Pemberton where the temperature rose to a staggering 38.2 C, breaking a record 35.7 C set on the same day in 2008.

smclaren@mrtimes.com