Alaska lightning map
Thunderstorms are rare in Alaska, mostly confined to the interior on warm summer afternoons when daytime heating builds over the terrain.
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Detected from NOAA GOES-19 GLM satellite data. Aggregate count for Alaska — your exact location and alerts live in the app.
About lightning in Alaska
Lightning is rare in Alaska, concentrated in the Interior where long summer days heat the land enough to build afternoon thunderstorms over the boreal forest. These storms are a leading cause of the state’s vast summer wildfires. The brief season runs June through August. When storms do form, tracking the nearest strike and whether it is approaching is the clearest signal in a region where thunder carries far across open country.
- Thunderstorm days/yr
- 5
- US rank
- #50 of 50
- Peak season
- June–August
State thunderstorm-day normals are provisional (NOAA/NWS); per-city climate data is shown where a station normal is published.
Cities in Alaska
Lightning safety in Alaska
Across Alaska, lightning routinely strikes miles ahead of the rain, so a live nearest-strike distance beats waiting for the downpour. The 30-30 ruleis the baseline: shelter within 30 seconds of thunder, and stay in for 30 minutes after the last rumble. StrikeCast’s distance and approaching or moving-away trend tell you which way a Alaska storm is heading before it arrives.
StrikeCast app
Distance, trend & alerts — in your pocket.
GPS-precise distance to the nearest strike, live approaching/moving-away trend, and push alerts for every place that matters across Alaska — home, work, the kids' school.
Your exact location stays on your device. Never shared. Never tracked.
Lightning guides
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm days does Alaska get?
Alaska averages about 5 thunderstorm days a year, versus a US average near 25 — roughly 0.2× the national norm. Activity peaks June–August.
Where does Alaska rank for lightning in the US?
By mean annual thunderstorm days, Alaska ranks #50 of 50 states. Rankings use NOAA/NWS climate normals; the live distance and trend on this page come from NOAA GOES-19 satellite data.
When is thunderstorm season in Alaska?
Lightning is most frequent June–August in Alaska.
How does StrikeCast track lightning in Alaska?
StrikeCast reads NOAA GOES-19 GLM (Geostationary Lightning Mapper) satellite data, updated continuously, to show how far away the nearest strike is and whether it is approaching or moving away. Save any place in Alaska in the free app to get a push alert when lightning closes in.