Is lightning near Great Falls right now?
Storm season in Great Falls peaks June–August.
Free push alert when lightning approaches Great Falls. Your exact location and alerts live in the app.
Thunderstorm season near Great Falls
Lightning near Great Falls follows Montana's pattern of about 30 thunderstorm days a year, roughly 1.2× the national average of 25. Lightning near Great Falls is most frequent June–August.
- MT thunderstorm days/yr
- 30
- Peak season
- June–August
- vs US average
- 1.2×
- Metro population
- ~60.4K
State-level NOAA climatology; a city-specific thunderstorm-day normal isn’t published for every station.
Where Great Falls sits
Great Falls lies on elevated interior terrain near 3,330 ft, about 507 mi from the coast, where summer heating fuels fast-building afternoon thunderstorms.
NOAA logged 1 notable lightning event within 50 miles of Great Falls since 2015.
- Elevation
- 3,330 ft
- Distance to coast
- ~507 mi
- Terrain
- Elevated interior
Source: Elevation: open-meteo.com · Coastline: Natural Earth · Lightning history: NOAA NCEI Storm Events.
Lightning safety in Great Falls
The safest call in Great Fallsisn’t how many storms a year it gets — it’s how close the nearest strike is right now. The 30-30 rule is the baseline: indoors within 30 seconds of thunder, back out only 30 minutes after the last. StrikeCast shows that distance and whether the storm is closing in, so you can act early.
StrikeCast app
Distance, trend & alerts — in your pocket.
GPS-precise distance to the nearest strike, live approaching/moving-away trend, and a push alert before the storm reaches you — no need to keep the app open.
Your exact location stays on your device. Never shared. Never tracked.
Frequently asked
How far away is the nearest lightning to Great Falls?
StrikeCast shows the live distance in miles to the nearest strike near Great Falls, updated continuously from NOAA GOES-GLM satellite data, plus whether it is approaching or moving away.
Is it safe to be outside in Great Falls right now?
If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck. Follow the 30-30 rule: shelter when thunder follows lightning by 30 seconds or less, and wait 30 minutes after the last thunder. StrikeCast's distance and trend help you decide before the storm arrives.
When is thunderstorm season in Great Falls?
Great Falls sees the most lightning June–August, the height of the regional storm season.
Can I get lightning alerts for Great Falls?
Yes. Get the free StrikeCast app, save Great Falls, and you will get a push alert when lightning approaches — no need to keep the app open.