How many lightning strikes have there been in 2026?
The detection network has located 9,190,324 lightning strikes worldwide so far in 2026. 6,995,070 of them struck land, the rest open water. This is a live counter: it ticks upward in real time, one increment per strike, as the network locates them. The busiest single day was July 30, 2026 with 861,009 strikes.
Live lightning strike counter for 2026
Reconnecting to the live feed. The number above is the last confirmed count.
The counter is connected to the same feed as the live map. Each increment is one strike the network actually located, never an estimate from an average rate. Strikes reach the feed 3 to 8 seconds after they happen.
This archive began on July 28, 2026, so the 2026 total covers that date onward rather than the full calendar year. Counts for 2027 will cover the year from 1 January.
Which countries had the most lightning in 2026?
Ranked by strikes the network located inside each country's borders. Detection coverage varies by region, so this ranks what was detected rather than what occurred; the guide to the world's most lightning-prone countries explains the difference.
| # | Country | Strikes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 3,610,211 | 39.3% |
| 2 | Mexico | 450,905 | 4.9% |
| 3 | France | 398,791 | 4.3% |
| 4 | Italy | 360,589 | 3.9% |
| 5 | Canada | 348,056 | 3.8% |
| 6 | Japan | 250,065 | 2.7% |
| 7 | Poland | 221,628 | 2.4% |
| 8 | Germany | 210,424 | 2.3% |
| 9 | Austria | 144,741 | 1.6% |
| 10 | China | 144,208 | 1.6% |
Top US states in 2026
Most struck US counties in 2026
| # | County | Strikes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cherry CountyNebraska | 17,730 | 0.193% |
| 2 | Catron CountyNew Mexico | 13,538 | 0.147% |
| 3 | LaSalle CountyIllinois | 12,971 | 0.141% |
| 4 | Colfax CountyNew Mexico | 12,852 | 0.140% |
| 5 | Custer CountyNebraska | 12,264 | 0.133% |
| 6 | Iroquois CountyIllinois | 12,065 | 0.131% |
| 7 | Coconino CountyArizona | 11,909 | 0.130% |
| 8 | Perry CountyOhio | 11,888 | 0.129% |
| 9 | Livingston CountyIllinois | 11,843 | 0.129% |
| 10 | Las Animas CountyColorado | 11,687 | 0.127% |
Lightning by month in 2026
August was the busiest month so far with 7,093,334 strikes. Each month links to its own report.
| Month | Strikes |
|---|---|
| July 2026 | 2,096,990 |
| August 2026 | 7,093,334 |
The most struck place of 2026
The busiest single degree of the map was centred near 29.5°N 83.5°W in United States, with 61,526 strikes. A one-degree cell is roughly 111 km across at the equator and narrows toward the poles.
How this count is made
Every strike here was located by the Blitzortung.org volunteer network and archived by this site as it arrived. The counter reads the archive directly, so it shows detected strikes rather than an estimate. Satellite studies put the true global rate near 44 flashes a second, well above what any ground network catches, because detection depends on how many volunteer stations can hear a given strike.
Counts are grouped by UTC day, which is why a late-evening storm in the Americas can appear on the following day's tally. Full methodology and the searchable country, state and county tables are on the data hub.
Watch the next one land
Every strike in this total appeared on the live map within seconds of being detected, with its thunder timed to your position.
Open the live map