New Jersey lightning map
New Jersey sees frequent summer thunderstorms as humid Mid-Atlantic air meets sea breezes and fronts moving off the Atlantic.
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Detected from NOAA GOES-19 GLM satellite data. Aggregate count for New Jersey — your exact location and alerts live in the app.
About lightning in New Jersey
New Jersey sees humid summer thunderstorms fed by Mid-Atlantic moisture, with sea breezes off the Atlantic and passing cold fronts triggering fast afternoon development. Storms often fire June through August and can turn severe along the I-95 corridor. Because they strike quickly and from the leading edge, the live distance and trend to the nearest flash beat waiting for the first clap of thunder.
- Thunderstorm days/yr
- 30
- US rank
- #37 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 New Jersey
Lightning safety in New Jersey
The safest call in New Jerseyisn’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 New Jersey — 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 New Jersey get?
New Jersey averages about 30 thunderstorm days a year, versus a US average near 25 — roughly 1.2× the national norm. Activity peaks June–August.
Where does New Jersey rank for lightning in the US?
By mean annual thunderstorm days, New Jersey ranks #37 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 New Jersey?
Lightning is most frequent June–August in New Jersey.
How does StrikeCast track lightning in New Jersey?
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 New Jersey in the free app to get a push alert when lightning closes in.