Tennessee lightning map
Tennessee sees frequent thunderstorms through a long warm season as Gulf moisture meets fronts over the valleys and Appalachian foothills.
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Detected from NOAA GOES-19 GLM satellite data. Aggregate count for Tennessee — your exact location and alerts live in the app.
About lightning in Tennessee
Tennessee sits on the edge of Dixie Alley, where Gulf moisture drives an active spring severe season and frequent summer storms across its valleys and plateaus. Storms here are known for moving fast and striking at night within terrain that hides the sky. The active window runs April through September. The live distance and trend to the nearest flash are safer guides than thunder echoing through the hills.
- Thunderstorm days/yr
- 52
- US rank
- #9 of 50
- Peak season
- April–September
State thunderstorm-day normals are provisional (NOAA/NWS); per-city climate data is shown where a station normal is published.
Cities in Tennessee
Lightning safety in Tennessee
When storms build across Tennessee, the distance to the nearest strike matters more than a statewide count. Follow the 30-30 rule: if thunder follows lightning by 30 seconds or less, get indoors, and wait 30 minutes after the last thunder before heading back out. If you can hear thunder, you are already close enough to be struck. StrikeCast surfaces the live distance and trend so you can act before the storm reaches you.
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 Tennessee — 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 Tennessee get?
Tennessee averages about 52 thunderstorm days a year, versus a US average near 25 — roughly 2.1× the national norm. Activity peaks April–September.
Where does Tennessee rank for lightning in the US?
By mean annual thunderstorm days, Tennessee ranks #9 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 Tennessee?
Lightning is most frequent April–September in Tennessee.
How does StrikeCast track lightning in Tennessee?
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 Tennessee in the free app to get a push alert when lightning closes in.