Top 10 US cities with the highest density of lightning strikes
Florida may be known as the Sunshine State, but over the years it's also earned a more ominous reputation as the Lightning Capital of America. That's because more people are struck and killed by lightning in Florida than in any other state due to the dense population and the amount of people that spend a great deal of time outdoors year-round. But when the numbers are crunched in a different way, it may not be Florida at all that deserves that dubious nickname.
AccuWeather analyzed the cities with the highest numbers of reported lightning strikes relative to the cities’ population densities and, according to the data, Wyoming has a built strong case for taking the Lightning Capital of America moniker away from Florida.
The cities with the most lightning strikes relative to population density lie primarily in the West and Midwest. Out of cities with populations greater than 100,000, the cities with the highest number of lightning strikes relative to population density lie in the South.
Top 10 cities with the highest lightning densities
Top 10 cities with the highest lightning densities (out of cities with populations higher than 100,000)
The most damaging and threatening lightning events often take place in the southern Rockies and Great Plains, according to AccuWeather’s Impact Indicator™ algorithm. These areas typically see the highest number of deaths, injuries and damage to property as a result of lightning strikes.
AccuWeather based its analysis on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) storm events database, which collects records on reported lightning strikes. The NOAA database doesn’t contain records for all lightning strikes, as a lightning strike is typically only reported to NOAA if it has caused damage, injury or death.
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