2024 at a glance

A year of electrical normality for the UK

With more than 17,000 cloud-to-ground lightning flashes (lightning strikes) detected in 2024, thunderstorm activity in the UK was within seasonal normals.

Most of this activity was concentrated in the months of May, August and September, which together accounted for more than 90% of the flashes detected.

A particularly electric September

September 2024 was characterised by exceptional thunderstorm activity, with more than 6,000 CG lightning flashes detected, making it the second most lightning-flooded September since records began, behind 2016 (6,166 cloud-to-ground lightning flashes) and surpassing the previous record set in 2023.

Meteorological factors

This intense electrical activity in September can be explained by the recurrent positioning of cold drops over Europe, favouring marked atmospheric instability. These low-pressure systems interacted with abnormally warm marine waters, which played a key role in providing the energy needed for the development of sometimes powerful thunderstorms.

Joris Royet, Weather Project Manager, METEORAGE.

Our European Lightning Detection Network (ELDN) detected
in the UK, in 2024

cloud-to-ground lightning flashes (lightning strikes).
10000
thunder days.
0

For a better understanding of the information provided in this report, here are the definitions of the terms frequently used in our terminology.

Key facts

The day most struck by lightning

May 12, 2024

2576
Cloud-to-ground lightning flashes.

The month most struck by lightning

September 2024

6043
Cloud-to-ground lightning flashes and 18 thunder days.

The County most struck by lightning

Gloucestershire (England)

924
Cloud-to-ground lightning flashes, a lightning density of 0.33 and 24 thunder days.

Focus on

A very stormy 21st September in the south of the UK

by Joris Royet, Weather Project Manager, METEORAGE.

A persistent cold drop over Europe conditioned the atmospheric circulation for much of September, generating significant instability over a large part of the continent. On 21 September, this dynamic led to a significant wave of thunderstorms over the UK, particularly in the Midlands region.

Favourable weather conditions

Located to the west of France, the cold drop imposed a south-easterly flow over England, bringing in a warm and unstable air mass. The first thunderstorms hit London early in the day before moving towards Birmingham, where electrical activity reached its peak.

Conditions conducive to strong instability

CAPE (Convective Available Potential Energy) values reached 2000 J/kg locally, providing a favourable environment for the development of thunderstorms. These thunderstorm cells were accompanied by heavy rainfall, significant wind gusts and intense electrical activity, with more than 2,200 CG lightning flashes detected during the day.

CG lightning flash map in England
September 21st, 2024

In England, on September, 21st 
2,081 Cloud-to-ground lightning flashes detected, including:

+ Positiv CG lightning flashes: 402,
– Negativ CG lightning flashes: 1,679.

Lightning strikes in the UK in 2024

For 2024, the lightning density for the UK is  0.0726 cloud-to-ground lightning flashes per km².

Seasonality of thunderstorms

Seasonal distribution of 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.

Lightning in UK
Ranking of countries 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. England 0.10
02. Wales 0.07
03. Scotland 0.03
04. Northern Ireland 0.02

Lightning in UK
Ranking of countries 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. Surrey (England) 0.333
02. Gloucestershire (England) 0.284
03. East Sussex (England) 0.282
04. Staffordshire (England) 0.279
05. Berkshire (England) 0.268
06. Newport(Wales) 0.262
07. Casnewydd (Wales) 0.262
08. Bedfordshire (England) 0.250
09. Leicestershire (England) 0.232
10. Neath Port Talbot (Wales) 0.209

Lightning in England
Top 10 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. Surrey 0.333
02. Gloucestershire 0.284
03. East Sussex 0.282
04. Staffordshire 0.279
05. Berkshire 0.268
06. Bedfordshire 0.250
07. Leicestershire 0.232
08. West Sussex 0.202
09. Oxfordshire 0.194
10. Hampshire 0.193

Lightning in Northern 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. Tyrone 0.045
02. Londonderry 0.044
03. Fermanagh 0.031
04. Antrim 0.009
05. Down 0.003
06. Armagh 0.002

Lightning in Scotland
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. Inverclyde 0.084
02. Stirling 0.078
03. East Ayrshire 0.075
04. East Dunbartonshire 0.074
05. Dumfries and Galloway 0.071
06. Perth and Kinross 0.063
07. South Lanarkshire 0.054
08. South Ayrshire 0.051
09. West Dunbartonshire 0.049
10. City of Aberdeen 0.042

Lightning in Wales
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. Newport 0.262
02. Casnewydd 0.262
03. Neath Port Talbot 0.209
04. Wrexham 0.156
05. Denbighshire 0.134
06. Flintshire 0.129
07. Abertawe 0.126
08. Swansea 0.126
09. Powys 0.113
10. Monmouthshire 0.100

The lightning strike on the UK in recent years

Since 2007, the lightning density for the UK has been 0.0364 cloud-to-ground lightning flashes/km² per year.

The average number of thunder days is 71 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 the United Kingdom. The data, densities, rankings and thunder days in this report are dated from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024. 

Performance map ELDN METEORAGE