Lightning levels low in Manitoba, but strike still flattens tree in Winnipeg

Signs of a lightning strike are obvious on Churchill Drive, as a tree — blown apart — appears to have been the victim of a direct hit and so far Winnipeg has been subjected to a soggy summer.

The July 1 lightning strike, confirmed by Environment and Climate Change Canada, could be heard for miles and it shook the nearby home of Arno Wachs, who says he’s never experienced anything like this in the city before.

“It sounded like an explosion,” explained Arno Wachs. “My wife, she gets up and she says: ‘Have you looked out the window yet? And I went and I looked and I saw the tree and it must have been a direct hit.” 

He says the lightning strike, just metres from his home, was amazing, but also frightening.

“It worried me because I have a lot of trees, large trees, in my yard here and very close to the house, and could you imagine what would have happened if it had hit that oak that’s right there? It probably would have taken half of our house out,” he explained. 

Several people were checking out the debris on Wednesday, including Karen Komarnicki, who was there with some children from her daycare. She says the scene is a chance to teach kids about the power of nature and the science behind it. 

“We just saw a big flash of lightning and a second later, it was a big boom, and you felt it, it was like hair stand on your back. It was really dramatic,” said Komarnicki.

“It’s just so powerful. That one strike of lightning could take a tree and then the next tree is just fine.”

The scene is also a reminder to heed weather warnings and advisories from Environment Canada this summer.

So far, Winnipeg is off to a wet start to Summer, with June of 2024 being the 36th wettest in the last 150 years.

However, the lightning strike that levelled this tree, is part of a downward trend in Manitoba, as the past month saw “very low” levels of lightening strikes across the province, only 45,234 compared to the June Average of 90,198.

Environment Canada Meteorologist Terri Lang stresses while lightning may be beautiful, it’s also extremely dangerous.

“When thunder roars, go indoors,” said Lang. “Respect Mother Nature, because ultimately, she has the final word.”