As children, often nothing seems scarier than thunder and lightning. Where you live, though, makes a difference as to how many lightning storms you’re likely to endure. Some parts of the United States are more prone to them than others, due to climate, elevation, and natural (and unnatural) conductors.
While it might be the thunder that most terrifies people (and their pets, too), lightning is the real danger in a thunderstorm. (Speaking of storms, here are the most devastating natural disasters in America in 2021).
As an electrostatic discharge, a single lightning stroke (the correct meteorological term, though most of us think of them as “strikes”) releases an immense amount of energy, and can be extremely dangerous if it makes contact with a conductor – for instance, a human being. From 1959 to 1994, according to the National Weather Service, there were over 10,000 lightning-related deaths, injuries, and reported damages in this country, and an average of 49 people are killed by lightning every year. (Lightning also sparks forest and brush fires. These have been the 30 most destructive wildfires in the US this century.)
Click here to see the states where lightning strikes the most
Suffice to say, lightning can strike a lot more than once, and a lot more in some places than others. To determine which states are struck with the most lightning, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2021 Annual Lightning Report from the environmental data company Vaisala. States were ranked on the total number of cloud-to-ground strokes plus cloud pulses (lightning flashes that don’t connect with the earth’s surface) in 2021, as well as the number of events per square kilometer. We converted those numbers to events per square mile using data on the total area of each state – both land and water – from the U.S. Census Bureau, which was also the source of population figures.
50. Rhode Island
> Total lightning events in 2021: 8,590
> Lightning density: 5.56 events per square mile (8th lowest)
> Total area: 1,545 square miles
> Population: 1,059,361
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49. Hawaii
> Total lightning events in 2021: 17,110
> Lightning density: 1.57 events per square mile (3rd lowest)
> Total area: 10,932 square miles
> Population: 1,415,872
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48. Washington
> Total lightning events in 2021: 55,779
> Lightning density: 0.78 events per square mile (2nd lowest)
> Total area: 71,298 square miles
> Population: 7,614,893
47. New Hampshire
> Total lightning events in 2021: 56,754
> Lightning density: 6.07 events per square mile (9th lowest)
> Total area: 9,349 square miles
> Population: 1,359,711
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46. Vermont
> Total lightning events in 2021: 71,264
> Lightning density: 7.41 events per square mile (11th lowest)
> Total area: 9,616 square miles
> Population: 623,989
45. Massachusetts
> Total lightning events in 2021: 109,277
> Lightning density: 10.35 events per square mile (12th lowest)
> Total area: 10,554 square miles
> Population: 6,892,503
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44. Maine
> Total lightning events in 2021: 109,705
> Lightning density: 3.10 events per square mile (6th lowest)
> Total area: 35,380 square miles
> Population: 1,344,212
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43. Connecticut
> Total lightning events in 2021: 134,073
> Lightning density: 24.19 events per square mile (17th lowest)
> Total area: 5,543 square miles
> Population: 3,565,287
42. Delaware
> Total lightning events in 2021: 151,534
> Lightning density: 60.88 events per square mile (21st highest)
> Total area: 2,489 square miles
> Population: 973,764
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41. Oregon
> Total lightning events in 2021: 196,356
> Lightning density: 2.00 events per square mile (4th lowest)
> Total area: 98,379 square miles
> Population: 4,217,737
40. Alaska
> Total lightning events in 2021: 306,298
> Lightning density: 0.46 events per square mile (the lowest)
> Total area: 665,384 square miles
> Population: 731,545
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39. California
> Total lightning events in 2021: 438,137
> Lightning density: 2.68 events per square mile (5th lowest)
> Total area: 163,695 square miles
> Population: 39,512,223
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38. New Jersey
> Total lightning events in 2021: 452,997
> Lightning density: 51.93 events per square mile (23rd highest)
> Total area: 8,723 square miles
> Population: 8,882,190
37. Idaho
> Total lightning events in 2021: 458,158
> Lightning density: 5.48 events per square mile (7th lowest)
> Total area: 83,569 square miles
> Population: 1,787,065
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36. Nevada
> Total lightning events in 2021: 730,222
> Lightning density: 6.60 events per square mile (10th lowest)
> Total area: 110,572 square miles
> Population: 3,080,156
35. Maryland
> Total lightning events in 2021: 893,700
> Lightning density: 72.04 events per square mile (16th highest)
> Total area: 12,406 square miles
> Population: 6,045,680
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34. New York
> Total lightning events in 2021: 1,037,412
> Lightning density: 19.02 events per square mile (16th lowest)
> Total area: 54,555 square miles
> Population: 19,453,561
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33. West Virginia
> Total lightning events in 2021: 1,071,308
> Lightning density: 44.21 events per square mile (24th lowest)
> Total area: 24,230 square miles
> Population: 1,792,147
32. Utah
> Total lightning events in 2021: 1,256,895
> Lightning density: 14.80 events per square mile (14th lowest)
> Total area: 84,897 square miles
> Population: 3,205,958
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31. Wyoming
> Total lightning events in 2021: 1,563,326
> Lightning density: 15.98 events per square mile (15th lowest)
> Total area: 97,813 square miles
> Population: 578,759
30. Montana
> Total lightning events in 2021: 1,976,333
> Lightning density: 13.44 events per square mile (13th lowest)
> Total area: 147,040 square miles
> Population: 1,068,778
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29. South Carolina
> Total lightning events in 2021: 2,117,027
> Lightning density: 66.12 events per square mile (18th highest)
> Total area: 32,020 square miles
> Population: 5,148,714
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28. Wisconsin
> Total lightning events in 2021: 2,118,168
> Lightning density: 32.34 events per square mile (21st lowest)
> Total area: 65,496 square miles
> Population: 5,822,434
27. Pennsylvania
> Total lightning events in 2021: 2,255,845
> Lightning density: 48.98 events per square mile (24th highest)
> Total area: 46,054 square miles
> Population: 12,801,989
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26. Indiana
> Total lightning events in 2021: 2,490,408
> Lightning density: 68.38 events per square mile (17th highest)
> Total area: 36,420 square miles
> Population: 6,732,219
25. North Carolina
> Total lightning events in 2021: 2,545,156
> Lightning density: 47.29 events per square mile (25th highest)
> Total area: 53,819 square miles
> Population: 10,488,084
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24. Minnesota
> Total lightning events in 2021: 2,632,119
> Lightning density: 30.28 events per square mile (19th lowest)
> Total area: 86,936 square miles
> Population: 5,639,632
23. Virginia
> Total lightning events in 2021: 2,704,205
> Lightning density: 63.22 events per square mile (19th highest)
> Total area: 42,775 square miles
> Population: 8,535,519
22. Ohio
> Total lightning events in 2021: 2,767,782
> Lightning density: 61.75 events per square mile (20th highest)
> Total area: 44,826 square miles
> Population: 11,689,100
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21. Michigan
> Total lightning events in 2021: 2,901,150
> Lightning density: 30.00 events per square mile (18th lowest)
> Total area: 96,714 square miles
> Population: 9,986,857
20. North Dakota
> Total lightning events in 2021: 3,196,746
> Lightning density: 45.22 events per square mile (25th lowest)
> Total area: 70,698 square miles
> Population: 762,062
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19. Colorado
> Total lightning events in 2021: 3,451,756
> Lightning density: 33.16 events per square mile (22nd lowest)
> Total area: 104,094 square miles
> Population: 5,758,736
18. Arizona
> Total lightning events in 2021: 3,573,539
> Lightning density: 31.35 events per square mile (20th lowest)
> Total area: 113,990 square miles
> Population: 7,278,717
17. Kentucky
> Total lightning events in 2021: 3,703,268
> Lightning density: 91.65 events per square mile (13th highest)
> Total area: 40,408 square miles
> Population: 4,467,673
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16. Tennessee
> Total lightning events in 2021: 3,914,936
> Lightning density: 92.89 events per square mile (12th highest)
> Total area: 42,144 square miles
> Population: 6,829,174
15. South Dakota
> Total lightning events in 2021: 4,063,473
> Lightning density: 52.69 events per square mile (22nd highest)
> Total area: 77,116 square miles
> Population: 884,659
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14. Iowa
> Total lightning events in 2021: 4,134,343
> Lightning density: 73.47 events per square mile (15th highest)
> Total area: 56,273 square miles
> Population: 3,155,070
13. New Mexico
> Total lightning events in 2021: 5,114,235
> Lightning density: 42.06 events per square mile (23rd lowest)
> Total area: 121,590 square miles
> Population: 2,096,829
12. Alabama
> Total lightning events in 2021: 5,142,748
> Lightning density: 98.11 events per square mile (10th highest)
> Total area: 52,420 square miles
> Population: 4,903,185
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11. Georgia
> Total lightning events in 2021: 5,533,354
> Lightning density: 93.11 events per square mile (11th highest)
> Total area: 59,425 square miles
> Population: 10,617,423
10. Arkansas
> Total lightning events in 2021: 5,659,900
> Lightning density: 106.43 events per square mile (9th highest)
> Total area: 53,179 square miles
> Population: 3,017,804
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9. Nebraska
> Total lightning events in 2021: 6,143,147
> Lightning density: 79.42 events per square mile (14th highest)
> Total area: 77,348 square miles
> Population: 1,934,408
8. Illinois
> Total lightning events in 2021: 6,263,862
> Lightning density: 108.16 events per square mile (7th highest)
> Total area: 57,914 square miles
> Population: 12,671,821
7. Mississippi
> Total lightning events in 2021: 6,999,388
> Lightning density: 144.52 events per square mile (4th highest)
> Total area: 48,432 square miles
> Population: 2,976,149
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6. Missouri
> Total lightning events in 2021: 7,690,990
> Lightning density: 110.33 events per square mile (6th highest)
> Total area: 69,707 square miles
> Population: 6,137,428
5. Kansas
> Total lightning events in 2021: 8,855,790
> Lightning density: 107.63 events per square mile (8th highest)
> Total area: 82,278 square miles
> Population: 2,913,314
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4. Oklahoma
> Total lightning events in 2021: 9,940,752
> Lightning density: 142.22 events per square mile (5th highest)
> Total area: 69,899 square miles
> Population: 3,956,971
3. Louisiana
> Total lightning events in 2021: 11,071,444
> Lightning density: 211.38 events per square mile (2nd highest)
> Total area: 52,378 square miles
> Population: 4,648,794
2. Florida
> Total lightning events in 2021: 14,645,013
> Lightning density: 222.71 events per square mile (the highest)
> Total area: 65,758 square miles
> Population: 21,477,737
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1. Texas
> Total lightning events in 2021: 41,914,516
> Lightning density: 156.05 events per square mile (3rd highest)
> Total area: 268,596 square miles
> Population: 28,995,881
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