Lightning and thunderstorms
Ireland 2024 review
Read our weather, climate and electrical analysis of thunderstorms in Ireland in 2024.
2024 at a glance
Electrical activity concentrated in 2 periods
In 2024, Ireland recorded almost 3,400 Cloud-to-ground lightning flashes (lightning strikes), marking a moderately stormy year, but well below the exceptional year of 2023, which set a record with more than 9,000 CG lightning flashes detected.
Most of the electrical activity was concentrated in the months of May and August, accounting for 95% of the lightning detected over the year.Â
These active periods can be explained by the presence of cold drops circulating off Ireland, favouring the formation of storm waves ahead.
A generally stable year
Apart from these two months, the year was dominated by anticyclonic or disturbed but often stable conditions, as Ireland was often behind the cold drops. This led to little electrical activity for the rest of the year.
Joris Royet, Weather Project Manager, METEORAGE.
Our European Lightning Detection Network (ELDN) detected
in Ireland, in 2024
Key facts
The day most struck by lightning
August 11, 2024
The month most struck by lightning
May 2024
The County most struck by lightning
Cork
Focus on
Intense thunderstorm sequence on 11 & 12 August
by Joris Royet, Weather Project Manager, METEORAGE.
In August 2024, a high pressure belt will keep the disturbed systems at high latitudes. However, at the end of the first dekad, a trough dipped southwards and formed a cold drop off Ireland, generating an unstable south-westerly flow. This configuration led to a significant increase in CAPE CAPE (Convective Available Potential Energy), providing a favourable environment for the development of thunderstorms.
Course of the episode
On 11 August, the first thunderstorms broke out in a moderately warm and humid environment, reaching the west coast of Ireland at around 3.00pm. These thunderstorms, accompanied by a high density of CG lightning flashes, moved along the western coastal areas from south to north. The storm continued for more than 14 hours, before weakening on the morning of 12 August.
Electrical balance
This remarkable event resulted in more than 1,500 CG lightning flashes being detected over the western half of Ireland, while the east of the country remained unaffected by these disturbances.
CG Lightning flash map
August 11th, 2024
Between August, 11 afternoon (3.00pm UTC) to August, 12 morning (6.00am UTC),
1,532 Cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flashes detected, including:
+ Positiv CG lightning flashes: 570,
– Negativ CG lightning flashes: 962.
Copyright METEORAGE.
Thunderstorms in Ireland in 2024
For 2024, the lightning density for Ireland is  0.0482 cloud-to-ground lightning flashes per km².
Seasonality of lightning strikes
Seasonal distribution of CG cloud-to-ground lightning strikes
The frequency, geographical distribution and intensity of thunderstorms vary with the seasons, depending on temperature, humidity and atmospheric dynamics.
In spring, thermal contrasts between cold and warm air set in and encourage the first convective thunderstorms, often accompanied by intense rain and sometimes hail or tornadoes, with electrical activity increasing as the season progresses.
In summer, they are more frequent and violent, fuelled by high temperatures and strong contrasts when cold drops pass through, generating thunderstorms that are sometimes supercellular, hence a peak in activity during this season.
Autumn sees a gradual reduction in electrical activity, but lows can still produce thunderstorms linked to transitions between air masses, particularly near waters that are still relatively warm.
In winter, although less frequent, thunderstorms can occur, often near the oceans or in regions where cold fronts meet warmer, more humid air.
Lightning in Ireland
Ranking of counties in 2024
by number of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flashes
by lightning density of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flashes per km²/year
| 01. Sligo | 0.109 |
| 02. Clare | 0.072 |
| 03. Leitrim | 0.067 |
| 04. Galway | 0.066 |
| 05. Wexford | 0.060 |
| 06. Cork | 0.057 |
| 07. Roscommon | 0.057 |
| 08. Donegal | 0.056 |
| 09. Mayo | 0.055 |
| 10. Limerick | 0.052 |
The lightning strike on Ireland in recent years
Since 2007, the lightning density for Ireland has been 0.0330 cloud-to-ground lightning flashes/km² per year.
The average number of thunder days is 64 per year.
Over the last 3 years
Monthly distribution of lightning strikes
Number of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flashes detected each month.
Over the last 10 years
Annual distribution of lightning strikes
Number of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flashes detected each year
Annual distribution of thunder days
Number of thunder days detected annually
Terminology
To help you better understand the information in this report, here are the definitions for some of the most frequently used terms.
Cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flash
Discharge of current of a certain intensity circulating between the cloud and the ground. Abbreviated to CG (Cloud-to-Ground).
Lightning density
The best current representation of thunderstorm activity is lightning density, which is the number of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flashes per km² per year.
Lightning flash
All current discharges and electrical impulses from a lightning event. A lightning flash can occur within the same cloud (IC), between a cloud and the ground (CG) or between two clouds (CC). A lightning flash can be composed of one stroke or many strokes, which are current discharges and electrical impulses.
Thunder day
Each day that lightning was detected in a given area.
About this lightning report
The lightning report is based on data provided by METEORAGE’s lightning detection network (ELDN) in Europe.
The information we provide concerns cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flashes and lightning density.
To be able to compare these data with the data collected, METEORAGE counts the main current pulse circulating between the cloud and the ground, defined in this report by the term “Cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flash”.
Our expertise draws on more than ten years of analysis, observation and data collected in Europe, and more broadly worldwide. We have over 37 years’ expertise in France.
The performance of our network has been validated scientifically and delivers the best possible results with:
- > 98% lightning flash detection,
- a median detection accuracy of 100 meters,
- > 90% distinction made between cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flashes and intra-cloud lightning flashes.
The METEORAGE network consists of more than 100 lightning sensors, calculators and a processing system that manages the databases. Our lightning sensors are based on the Vaisala technology, currently considered one of the best in the world. Our network achieves levels of performance validated by numerous scientific studies and publications.
This 2024 report is based on the most comprehensive source of information in Ireland. The data, densities, rankings and thunder days in this report are dated from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024.Â
