California lightning map
Thunderstorms are uncommon along California's coast but flare up over the Sierra and southeastern deserts during summer monsoon surges.
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Detected from NOAA GOES-19 GLM satellite data. Aggregate count for California — your exact location and alerts live in the app.
About lightning in California
Thunderstorms are uncommon across most of California, where the dry summer climate suppresses convection near the coast. When lightning does occur it tends to fire over the mountains and deserts in summer, or arrive with rare cold-season systems — and dry lightning over parched terrain is a major wildfire trigger. Activity is most likely July through September. Because storms are infrequent and often dry, knowing the live distance to the nearest strike is especially valuable when one does build.
- Thunderstorm days/yr
- 10
- US rank
- #46 of 50
- Peak season
- July–September
State thunderstorm-day normals are provisional (NOAA/NWS); per-city climate data is shown where a station normal is published.
Cities in California
Lightning safety in California
The safest call in Californiaisn’t how many storm days it averages a year — it’s how close the nearest strike is right now. Keep to the 30-30 rule: indoors within 30 seconds of thunder, back outside only 30 minutes after the last. StrikeCast shows that live distance and whether the storm is closing in, so you can move early.
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 California — 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 California get?
California averages about 10 thunderstorm days a year, versus a US average near 25 — roughly 0.4× the national norm. Activity peaks July–September.
Where does California rank for lightning in the US?
By mean annual thunderstorm days, California ranks #46 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 California?
Lightning is most frequent July–September in California.
How does StrikeCast track lightning in California?
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 California in the free app to get a push alert when lightning closes in.