78,991
detected flashes in last 24 hours
Recent detections from NOAA GOES East/West GLM. Florida. Provider and display latency vary; satellite markers are approximate optical-flash locations, not exact ground impacts.
Thunder tracker
Thunder Tracker Near Me
Check the live thunder map below for lightning detected near your area, then search your city or state for a local count. Lightning Tracker maps satellite-detected lightning — the part of a thunderstorm this feed can actually see. Thunder is the sound that flash makes.
Recent map preview
Lightning Activity Across the US
This preview uses storm-active state feeds, not a complete national total. For an exact closed-day state ranking, see yesterday’s lightning leaderboard.
As of , this preview uses recent NOAA GOES East/West GLM optical-flash state feeds. Unit: detected flashes; locations are approximate flash centroids, not confirmed ground impacts.
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Thunder map and thunder radar
What the Points on a Thunder Map Mean
Each point is a processed optical flash observed by a NOAA GOES East/West Geostationary Lightning Mapper. It is an approximate flash centroid, not a confirmed ground contact. Dense clusters show where the satellite detected more electrical activity; gaps do not prove that no lightning occurred there. Use the 12H and 24H controls above to narrow the window.
A thunder radar view is this same lightning-detection feed — this site carries no precipitation radar layer. Open the lightning radar page for how the two differ, the last-24-hours strike map for the full day, or the methodology page for how each detection is sourced and processed.
Recent local check
Check thunder near me
Search a city or state, or use your current location, to open recent detected flashes for that area. Provider latency varies; follow official warnings for safety decisions.
GET ALERTS FOR THIS AREA Keep this area ready.
The web check answers now. The app can monitor this radius after you close the page.
Save this area on your phone.
Thunderstorm Activity by State
Recent detected-flash counters for storm-active states. Open a state map for city links, heatmaps, and recent flashes.
23,032
detected flashes in last 24 hours
Recent detections from NOAA GOES East/West GLM. Texas. Provider and display latency vary; satellite markers are approximate optical-flash locations, not exact ground impacts.
2,807
detected flashes in last 24 hours
Recent detections from NOAA GOES East/West GLM. Oklahoma. Provider and display latency vary; satellite markers are approximate optical-flash locations, not exact ground impacts.
30,493
detected flashes in last 24 hours
Recent detections from NOAA GOES East/West GLM. Louisiana. Provider and display latency vary; satellite markers are approximate optical-flash locations, not exact ground impacts.
Thunder vs lightning
This Thunderstorm Tracker Detects Lightning, Not Thunder
Lightning is the electrical discharge. Thunder is the sound that discharge makes as it heats the air along its channel. Nothing on this site listens for sound: the map is built from satellite observations of light. That is why a page called a thunder tracker, a thunder map, or a thunderstorm tracker shows you lightning detections — they are the measurable signal that a storm is electrically active.
The practical consequence: this page can show that a storm near you is producing lightning, but it cannot tell you whether thunder is audible at your address, and it cannot tell you that you are about to hear one. For the physics behind the two, read lightning vs thunder.
Limits
What This Page Cannot Do
- It is not an official warning service. Lightning Tracker is not the National Weather Service. It issues no warnings and carries no severe thunderstorm warning or watch data. Use weather.gov, Wireless Emergency Alerts, and local authorities for those.
- It does not forecast. Detections describe flashes that already happened. Nothing here predicts where or when lightning will strike next.
- It is not an all-clear. Coverage, detection completeness, location precision, and latency all vary with storm structure, viewing geometry, and provider status. A quiet map is not evidence that it is safe outside.
- Safety rule. If you hear thunder, go indoors immediately — a substantial building or an enclosed hard-topped vehicle. Stay there and wait at least 30 minutes after the last thunder before going back out. Do not wait for an app alert or a map update to decide.
Where to Go Next
Different thunderstorm questions need different pages. These routes match the ones people actually search.
Live map Lightning map near me
Start here for state, city, and current-location checks.
Last 24 hours Lightning strike map last 24 hoursSee the full day of detections with per-state counters.
Radar Thunder radar near meHow lightning detection differs from precipitation radar.
Distance Closest lightning strike to meApproximate distance to the closest returned flash centroid.
Alerts Saved-radius lightning alertsSet an area and get supplemental alerts on your phone.
Right now Is it thundering right now near meWhat "right now" can and cannot mean on a satellite feed.
Guide Thunder vs lightningWhy the sound and the flash are two different things.
Data Sources and methodologyWhich satellite products feed this map, and their known limits.
Thunder Tracker FAQ
Is it thundering right now near me?
Open the live thunder map above and search your city or state. Points are lightning flashes detected near that area by NOAA GOES East/West GLM satellites. Flashes near you mean a storm is producing lightning nearby, and every flash produces thunder — but whether it is audible where you stand depends on distance and conditions, which no map can measure. If you hear thunder, go indoors immediately.
What is a thunder tracker?
A thunder tracker is a map of recent lightning detections around a chosen place. Lightning Tracker plots processed optical flashes observed from geostationary orbit, so it tracks the lightning inside a thunderstorm rather than the sound of thunder. Provider publication, processing, delivery, and page refresh each add variable delay.
Does a thunder map show thunder or lightning?
Lightning. Thunder is the sound a lightning channel makes as it heats the air; there is no satellite or sensor on this site listening for it. A displayed point is an approximate optical-flash centroid, not a confirmed ground strike. Read the thunder vs lightning guide for the physics and the methodology page for how detections are processed.
Is a thunder radar the same as weather radar?
No. Weather radar measures precipitation and storm structure. A thunder radar view on this site shows recent detected lightning flashes instead. The two datasets complement each other and have different limitations, and neither replaces official National Weather Service forecasts or warnings.
Can this page show a severe thunderstorm warning near me?
No. Lightning Tracker is not the National Weather Service, does not issue warnings, and carries no severe thunderstorm warning or watch data. For warnings, watches, and official guidance use weather.gov, Wireless Emergency Alerts, and local authorities.
How close is the thunderstorm to me?
The closest-strike page returns an approximate distance from your location or zip to the closest returned flash centroid. Satellite location precision varies, and no distance threshold marks a safe outdoor zone. An empty map is never an all-clear: detections can be missing, delayed, or outside the returned window.