Yellowknife (Aug 25/06) - It's been an electric summer in Yellowknife. Lightening strikes are up in the capital - with more than 7,000 strikes Aug. 13 alone - but that hasn't translated into more forest fires, according to experts.

"You've been getting a whole bunch up there," said Bill Burrows, a senior research scientist with Environment Canada.

Roger Fraser, acting North Slave forest manager says there were 7,121 lightning strikes in Yellowknife on Aug. 13. - Emily Watkins/NNSL photo

Due to changing weather patterns, and warmer air pushing up from the south, there has been more friction in the air, said Burrows.

"We've seen it for some time."

Burrows, who researches lightning strikes in the Northwest Territories out of Edmonton using the high tech Canadian Lightning Detection Network, said that he has never seen so much activity.

"There's a greater area of heat in the whole circulation system," he said. But Burrows did not have specific numbers for the entire North Slave region this summer.

"It's pushing northward and the jet stream is tied in and held between the cold and warm air."

Roger Fraser, acting manager of forests at the Yellowknife office of Environment Canada, said that he has definitely seen quite a bit of lightning in and around Yellowknife.

"This year we've had more wet lightning than dry lightning," explained Fraser.

"Wet lightning has a great deal of rain, which helps put out the fires, or prevent them from occurring."

Fraser said that there can be thousands of strikes in a single day.

"There's been a bucket load," said Fraser. "On Sunday there was 7,121 strikes."