Lightning tells us more about severe weather than you might imagine. In 2020, Earth Networks detected 441,211,344 total lightning pulses in the continental U.S., despite an overall decrease in lightning activity.
Did you know that lightning is a key indicator of severe weather and present in most storms? The Earth Networks Total Lightning Network monitors the skies 24/7, 365 days a year for both in-cloud and cloud-to-ground lightning strikes (aka "total lightning"). When our global network of lightning sensors detect lightning, it automatically issues severe weather alerts to impacted areas - up to 50% faster than other sources. This technology saves lives every day and reviewing the historical data helps us plan for the next severe weather event.
To help you plan ahead for severe weather, we've compiled the U.S. lightning data (January 1 to December 31, 2020) into an 18-page report, which you can flip through below.
What's included in the 2020 U.S. Lightning Report?
- An overview of total lightning activity in the U.S. during 2020
- Total lightning data for every continental U.S. state and the Top 100 counties struck by lightning
- Lightning density maps for the continental U.S. and key geographical regions
- An overview of how lightning played a role in 2020's severe weather events across the country
