Lightning and thunderstorms
France 2024 review
Read our weather, climate and electrical analysis of thunderstorms in France in 2024.
2024 at a glance
Joris Royet, Chef de projet Météo, METEORAGE
A year within the normal range
With more than 410,000 CG cloud-to-ground flashes (lightning strikes) detected, 2024 was within the normal climatic range.
Thunderstorm activity concentrated between June and August
Electrical activity peaked in the summer, with a peak in July, when the 100,000 mark for cloud-to-ground lightning was passed.
A number of intense thunderstorms produced heavy rainfall totals, particularly during the thunderstorm that affected a large part of the country at the end of June.
The centre-east of the country was particularly hard hit by the sometimes violent thunderstorms of 2024, in contrast to the south-west, which was relatively spared this year.
Thunderstorm activity gradually diminished as the autumn progressed, virtually disappearing in November and December.
On the whole, the thunderstorms of 2024 were not exceptional in nature, but were part of a normal climatic pattern.
Joris Royet, Weather Project Manager, METEORAGE.
Our European Lightning Detection Network (ELDN) detected in France, in 2024
Key facts
The day most struck by lightning
29 June 2024
The month most struck by lightning
July 2024
The town most struck by lightning
Arles (Bouches-du-Rhône)
Focus on
At the end of June 2024, an intense stormy spell across France
by Joris Royet, Weather Project Manager, METEORAGE.
At the end of June 2024, a cold drop settled over the Iberian Peninsula before moving up towards France. Against a backdrop of high temperatures and humidity across the country, the convection proved powerful enough to trigger a major storm episode.
29 June, the stormiest day of the summer
June 29 marked the peak of thunderstorm activity for the summer, with more than 53,000 cloud-to-ground lightning flashes detected, mainly along a south-west/north-east axis. The first thunderstorms broke out over the west of the country before the instability shifted to the north-east, strengthening as the day progressed. The whole of the north-east was swept by violent thunderstorms. Several supercells were even observed, despite their short lifespan.
Severe weather phenomena
The thunderstorm caused a number of damaging and sometimes fatal events:
- Violent gusts of wind: a gust of 130 km/h was recorded in Tonnerre (Yonne), causing trees to fall.
- Hailstorms: hailstones up to 5 cm in diameter were reported in Haute-Marne.
- Intense precipitation: accumulations of 50 to 90 mm in 24 hours were recorded in Meuse, Haute-Marne and the Vosges.
This episode makes 29 June one of the busiest days for lightning strikes in 2024.
Visualisation of lightning strikes on 29 June 2024
Visualisation of lightning strikes during the thunderstorm that crossed France on 29 June 2024 using our OBSERVATION solution (copyright METEORAGE).
Lightning strikes in France in 2024
For 2024, the density of cloud-to-ground lightning strikes in France is 0.7526 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes per km².
The regions most likely to be struck by lightning in 2024 are those from the south-west to the north-east, the PACA region and the relief of Western Europe.
The south-east (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and Corsica) is subject to intense thunderstorm activity, particularly in autumn, thanks to the humidity and mildness of the Mediterranean waters, which give rise to strong thermal contrasts.
The classic SW-NE axis was electric in 2024, particularly over the central-eastern to north-eastern part. This high density was due to thundery upsurges, most often caused by cold drops off the Atlantic coast.
The Pyrenees on the Spanish side and the Italian Alps also recorded significant activity, where the topography favoured stationary, and sometimes violent, orographic thunderstorms. These data confirm that the topography plays a key role in the development of thunderstorms.
The spatial distribution of electrical activity in France in 2024 is typical, with the south-west to north-east axis, the PACA region and the mountainous areas well struck by lightning.
Seasonality of thunderstorms
Seasonal distribution of CG cloud-to-ground lightning flashes
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.
Top 10 regions most struck by lightning
by number of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flashes
by lightning density of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flashes per km²/year
| 01. Bourgogne-Franche Comté | 1.243 |
| 02. Ile de France | 1.138 |
| 03. Corse | 1.132 |
| 04. Grand-Est | 1.034 |
| 05. Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | 0.925 |
| 06. Provence-Alpes-Côte d'azur | 0.897 |
| 07. Occitanie | 0.749 |
| 08. Nouvelle Aquitaine | 0.595 |
| 09. Hauts-de-France | 0.546 |
| 10. Normandie | 0.518 |
Top 10 departments most affected by lightning strikes
by number of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flashes
by lightning density of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flashes per km²/year
| 01. Haute-Marne (Grand-Est) | 2.103 |
| 02. Haute-Saône (Bourgogne-Franche Comté) | 1.614 |
| 03. Côte-d'Or (Bourgogne-Franche Comté) | 1.493 |
| 04. Vosges (Grand-Est) | 1.485 |
| 05. Seine-et-Marne (Ile de France) | 1.483 |
| 06. Haute-Corse (Corse) | 1.438 |
| 07. Var (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'azur) | 1.316 |
| 08. Loire (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) | 1.299 |
| 09. Aube (Grand-Est) | 1.276 |
| 10. Alpes-Maritimes (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'azur) | 1.252 |
Top 10 towns most struck by lightning
by number of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flashes
by lightning density of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flashes per km²/year
| 01. Tourmignies (Nord) | 8.728 |
| 02. Alzi (Haute-Corse) | 8.459 |
| 03. Arnay-Le-Duc (Côte-d'Or) | 7.881 |
| 04. Bassigney (Haute-Saône) | 7.396 |
| 05. Le Menil-Vicomte (Orne) | 7.148 |
| 06. Schirrhoffen (Bas-Rhin) | 6.955 |
| 07. Sainte-Marie (Hautes-Pyrénées) | 6.672 |
| 08. Bonnevent-Velloreille (Haute-Saône) | 6.657 |
| 09. Plelauff (Côtes-d'Armor) | 6.579 |
| 10. Saint-Genest-de-Beauzon (Ardèche) | 6.456 |
The lightning strike in France in recent years
Since 1989, the start of our records, the lightning density of cloud-to-ground lightning (lightning strikes) in France has been 0.8716 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes/km² per year.
The number of thunderstorm days per year is 261.
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.
Discover the lightning density of a location
View the density of lightning strikes over the last 10 years in your region, your département and your commune on our interactive map of lightning strikes in France.
Zoom in (top left) to see your region, your département and the town with the most and least lightning strikes. Or enter a specific address in the search bar (top right). You can also buy lightning data for your locality online.
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 France. The data, densities, rankings and thunder days in this report are dated from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024.
