New York lightning map
New York's thunderstorms peak in summer, with convection firing over the interior highlands and along fronts sweeping across the state.
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Detected from NOAA GOES-19 GLM satellite data. Aggregate count for New York — your exact location and alerts live in the app.
About lightning in New York
New York spans several storm regimes: lake-effect-modified convection near the Great Lakes in the west, and summer cold fronts crossing the rest of the state. Storms most often fire June through August, sometimes intensifying over the mountains and lakes. With terrain and lakes shaping fast local development, the live distance to the nearest strike and its trend are the safer read than thunder alone.
- Thunderstorm days/yr
- 28
- US rank
- #38 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 York
Lightning safety in New York
Across New York, 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 New York 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 New York — 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 York get?
New York averages about 28 thunderstorm days a year, versus a US average near 25 — roughly 1.1× the national norm. Activity peaks June–August.
Where does New York rank for lightning in the US?
By mean annual thunderstorm days, New York ranks #38 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 York?
Lightning is most frequent June–August in New York.
How does StrikeCast track lightning in New York?
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 York in the free app to get a push alert when lightning closes in.