North Dakota lightning map
North Dakota's summer thunderstorms ride the northern Plains storm track, occasionally producing severe supercells and large hail.
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Detected from NOAA GOES-19 GLM satellite data. Aggregate count for North Dakota — your exact location and alerts live in the app.
About lightning in North Dakota
North Dakota sits on the northern plains, where summer brings fast-moving thunderstorm complexes and occasional supercells across wide-open country. These storms often build after dark and travel far. The active window runs May through August. Because overnight storms can strike before the thunder reaches you, the live distance and trend to the nearest flash are what give you warning.
- Thunderstorm days/yr
- 32
- US rank
- #32 of 50
- Peak season
- May–August
State thunderstorm-day normals are provisional (NOAA/NWS); per-city climate data is shown where a station normal is published.
Cities in North Dakota
Lightning safety in North Dakota
The safest call in North Dakotaisn’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 North Dakota — 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 North Dakota get?
North Dakota averages about 32 thunderstorm days a year, versus a US average near 25 — roughly 1.3× the national norm. Activity peaks May–August.
Where does North Dakota rank for lightning in the US?
By mean annual thunderstorm days, North Dakota ranks #32 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 North Dakota?
Lightning is most frequent May–August in North Dakota.
How does StrikeCast track lightning in North Dakota?
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 North Dakota in the free app to get a push alert when lightning closes in.