Mapped: Florida, the lightning capital
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Florida, Texas and Oklahoma are America's lightning capitals, per weather data firm Vaisala Xweather.
Why it matters: Aside from the immediate danger to people, aircraft and infrastructure, lightning can spark wildfires — and the number of strikes is predicted to increase amid climate change, researchers have found.
By the numbers: Palm Beach County had the third-most lightning strikes among U.S. counties in 2024, with 713,000, per Vaisala Xweather's report.
- Florida's Polk County had the most — 852,000.
- Limestone County, Texas, came in second (about 757,000).
Between the lines: These results are largely preordained, reflecting thunderstorms and hurricanes driven by climate and geography in and around the Gulf.
How it works: Vaisala Xweather's data comes from sensors that use radio waves to detect and triangulate lightning strikes, with a claimed median accuracy of 84 meters (just under 300 feet).
- The data includes both cloud-to-ground and in-cloud lightning.