Thunderstorm accompanies record high temperature in Ottawa on Friday

There was a thunderstorm in Ottawa Friday night as a warm front moved across the region.

It's not common in February, but there was a thunderstorm in the Ottawa region Friday night.

Environment Canada meteorologist Ray Houle tells CTV News Ottawa that there were some scattered lightning strikes in eastern Ontario between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. Friday.

While thunderstorm activity was not officially recorded at the Ottawa Airport weather station, many residents remarked on the thunder and lightning on social media.

Houle says a warm front moving up from the Midwest United States mixed with colder air in Ontario.

"When that happens, it can destabilize the atmosphere and create a thunderstorm," he said.

Friday was the hottest Feb. 9 on record in Ottawa, reaching a high of 9.9 C. The previous high temperature record for that date was 7.4 C, set in 1990.

There is the potential for another broken high temperature record Saturday. Environment Canada is forecasting a high of 8 C. The record for Feb. 10 is 7.2 C, set in 1966.