Vaisala Xweather
New maps show lightning strikes pinpointing 36.8 million ground points in great detail.
Now in its seventh year, the Vaisala Xweather annual lightning maps explore nature’s most intense weather phenomenon.
By August 2023, the United States had already broken the record for the highest number of billion-dollar weather disasters in a year. By year’s end, 19 out of 28 events with losses exceeding $1 billion were attributed to severe storms.
The frequency of lightning ground strikes per year averaged over six years. Credit Vagasky, et al
In the 2023 report, Vaisala Xweather delves into the risk of lightning for the wind energy sector, offering a groundbreaking analysis pinpointing the most lightning-prone wind farms in the United States.
It also introduces a new analysis revealing the top 20 metropolitan areas in the United States where thunderstorms are most likely to disrupt daily life.
The density of lightning strikes in the US in 2023. Credit Vaisala XWeather
Although 2023 marked the hottest year on record, the relationship between rising temperatures and lightning is intricate.
With over 40 years of lightning detection technology development, Vaisala employs sophisticated machine learning applications to consistently provide the highest quality lightning data globally.
