Is lightning near Scranton right now?
Storm season in Scranton peaks June–August.
Free push alert when lightning approaches Scranton. Your exact location and alerts live in the app.
Thunderstorm season near Scranton
Lightning near Scranton follows Pennsylvania's pattern of about 35 thunderstorm days a year, roughly 1.4× the national average of 25. Lightning near Scranton is most frequent June–August.
- PA thunderstorm days/yr
- 35
- Peak season
- June–August
- vs US average
- 1.4×
- Metro population
- ~76.3K
State-level NOAA climatology; a city-specific thunderstorm-day normal isn’t published for every station.
Where Scranton sits
About 88 mi from the coast at roughly 755 ft, Scranton sees moisture-fed storms through the warm months.
NOAA logged 31 notable lightning events within 50 miles of Scranton since 2015 — including 4 injuries and 2 deaths.
- Elevation
- 755 ft
- Distance to coast
- ~88 mi
- Terrain
- Near-coastal plain
Source: Elevation: open-meteo.com · Coastline: Natural Earth · Lightning history: NOAA NCEI Storm Events.
Lightning safety in Scranton
The safest call in Scrantonisn’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 Scranton?
StrikeCast shows the live distance in miles to the nearest strike near Scranton, updated continuously from NOAA GOES-GLM satellite data, plus whether it is approaching or moving away.
Is it safe to be outside in Scranton 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 Scranton?
Scranton sees the most lightning June–August, the height of the regional storm season.
Can I get lightning alerts for Scranton?
Yes. Get the free StrikeCast app, save Scranton, and you will get a push alert when lightning approaches — no need to keep the app open.