Arkansas lightning map
Arkansas sees frequent thunderstorms as Gulf moisture surges north into clashing air masses, peaking in a long spring-through-summer convective season.
Checking…
Detected from NOAA GOES-19 GLM satellite data. Aggregate count for Arkansas — your exact location and alerts live in the app.
About lightning in Arkansas
Arkansas pulls in Gulf moisture that feeds an active spring severe season and frequent summer storms, with the Ozark and Ouachita mountains adding terrain that can hide an approaching cell. The active window runs April through September. Storms here often move quickly and strike ahead of the rain. Watching how close the nearest flash is — and whether it is closing in — gives more warning than waiting for thunder.
- Thunderstorm days/yr
- 55
- US rank
- #7 of 50
- Peak season
- April–September
State thunderstorm-day normals are provisional (NOAA/NWS); per-city climate data is shown where a station normal is published.
Cities in Arkansas
Lightning safety in Arkansas
Across Arkansas, 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 Arkansas 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 Arkansas — 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 Arkansas get?
Arkansas averages about 55 thunderstorm days a year, versus a US average near 25 — roughly 2.2× the national norm. Activity peaks April–September.
Where does Arkansas rank for lightning in the US?
By mean annual thunderstorm days, Arkansas ranks #7 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 Arkansas?
Lightning is most frequent April–September in Arkansas.
How does StrikeCast track lightning in Arkansas?
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 Arkansas in the free app to get a push alert when lightning closes in.