Lightning Map Open the live map

About Lightning Map

Lightning Map is a free live map of lightning strikes across the Americas, Europe and Africa. It's built and run by Noureddine, an independent developer. There is no company or advertiser behind it.

The goal is simple: show where lightning is striking right now, as clearly and honestly as possible, so you can make better decisions when a storm is around.

Where the data comes from

The map uses lightning data from weather satellites, published openly by two space agencies:

Region Satellite and instrument Operator
North, Central and South America, eastern Pacific GOES-19 and GOES-18, Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) NOAA (United States)
Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Atlantic Meteosat Third Generation (MTG), Lightning Imager EUMETSAT (Europe)

These instruments watch the whole hemisphere from about 36,000 km up and detect the flash of light that lightning makes inside and below the clouds.

How fresh the data is

The delay depends on the region, and we'd rather tell you than hide it:

  • Americas: NOAA publishes new data every 20 seconds. Strikes usually appear on the map within about a minute of the flash, often within 30 seconds.
  • Europe and Africa: EUMETSAT publishes data in 10-minute batches. Strikes appear about 10 to 12 minutes after the flash.

What the map can and can't tell you

  • Satellites see all lightning, including flashes that stay inside the clouds. They can't tell a cloud-to-ground strike from an in-cloud flash.
  • Locations are approximate. The detectors see the ground in squares roughly 5 to 15 km wide: about 4.5 km directly below the European satellite and 8 to 14 km for the US instrument, larger towards the edge of the view. That's ideal for seeing where a storm is and where it's heading, but not for pinpointing a single strike on a street.
  • There is no coverage of Asia or Australia yet.

Using the map safely

A live map helps you see storms coming and decide whether to start an activity. It can't replace your own ears: if you can hear thunder, you're close enough to be struck. Go indoors, and wait 30 minutes after the last thunder before going back out. See the lightning safety guide and the 30-minute lightning rule.

How the guides are written

Lightning safety is a life-safety topic, so every guide on this site:

  • is based on official guidance, mainly from the US National Weather Service (NOAA) and the UK Met Office;
  • links to its sources, so you can check them yourself;
  • shows the date it was last reviewed.

If you spot a mistake, it will be corrected.

Important

Lightning Map is provided for awareness and information only. It is not a certified warning system and is not a substitute for official weather warnings. In a storm, always follow the advice of your national weather service and local authorities.

Lightning Map is not affiliated with or endorsed by NOAA, EUMETSAT or the Met Office. It uses the data they make publicly available.

A mobile app with lightning alerts is coming soon for iOS and Android.

Sources