Is lightning near Tulsa right now?
~11 minearest strike to Tulsa↗ Approaching
69 strikes within 100 mi in the last hour.
Free push alert when lightning approaches Tulsa. Your exact location and alerts live in the app.
Thunderstorm season in Tulsa
Tulsa, OK averages about 50 thunderstorm days a year — roughly 2× the national average of 25. Among the cities StrikeCast tracks, Tulsa is the 4th-most active in its state. Activity peaks April–August, when Oklahoma's warm-season storms fire most often.
- Thunderstorm days/yr
- 50
- Peak season
- April–August
- vs US average
- 2×
- Rank in OK
- 4th
- Metro population
- ~413.1K
Source: NOAA / WMO climate normals — mean annual days with thunderstorms (1961–2010). City rank reflects the US cities StrikeCast tracks.
Where Tulsa sits
Tulsa sits inland at about 741 ft, roughly 444 mi from the coast, where storms tend to travel with the larger weather systems rather than pop up locally.
NOAA logged 2 notable lightning events within 50 miles of Tulsa since 2015.
- Elevation
- 741 ft
- Distance to coast
- ~444 mi
- Terrain
- Inland lowland
Source: Elevation: open-meteo.com · Coastline: Natural Earth · Lightning history: NOAA NCEI Storm Events.
Lightning safety in Tulsa
The safest call in Tulsaisn’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 Tulsa?
StrikeCast shows the live distance in miles to the nearest strike near Tulsa, updated continuously from NOAA GOES-GLM satellite data, plus whether it is approaching or moving away.
Is it safe to be outside in Tulsa 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 Tulsa?
Tulsa sees the most lightning April–August, averaging about 50 thunderstorm days a year.
Where does Tulsa rank for lightning?
Among the US cities StrikeCast tracks, Tulsa is the 4th-most lightning-active in OK, at about 50 thunderstorm days a year.
Can I get lightning alerts for Tulsa?
Yes. Get the free StrikeCast app, save Tulsa, and you will get a push alert when lightning approaches — no need to keep the app open.