Lightning Map
Where to access Canada’s Lightning Map
The Lightning Map is a layer on our interactive Weather Information map that shows where lightning is happening across Canada in real-time.
Visit the Lightning Map: See the interactive Weather Information map and turn on the lightning layer. For more detailed instructions read about the layers.
What happens when you see a lightning icon
If you see a lightning icon over your area or hear thunder, go to a safe place immediately. A safe place is either an enclosed building with plumbing and wiring or an all-metal vehicle. Stay there for at least 30 minutes after the last sound of thunder. Remember: When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors!
See a lightning icon over your area? Learn more about Lightning Safety.
How we update the Lightning Map
We refresh the lightning icons on the map at specific times, and you might notice a lightning icon even when there’s no precipitation (e.g. rain, snow etc.). Remember, the lightning map is not a forecast.
How often we refresh radar images
We update the radar images on the Lightning Map every 6 minutes.
- for the one-hour animation loop, each image will show the lightning strikes from the previous 6 minutes
When lightning icons do not show on the map
No matter what, if you see lightning or hear thunder it is a warning sign to get to shelter quickly.
You might not see lightning on the map because:
- no lightning has occurred in the last hour
- lightning has occurred and was seen by the network, however the map has not yet updated.
- lightning has occurred, but lightning that did not contact the ground (i.e., in-cloud lightning or cloud-to-cloud lightning) will not show on the map
- there are cases when Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Canadian Lightning Detection Network might not see the lightning or that the lightning struck the ground (as technology improves, this happens less often).
Lightning icons on the map, but no precipitation (e.g. rain)
If you see lightning on the map but precipitation is not shown on the radar image:
- it might be ‘dry lightning’ – the thunderstorm is not producing precipitation
- the storm might move away, but lightning can still reach you
- we get lightning data more frequently than our radar updates images (you might see lightning icons on the map before the radar catches up)
- The radar is not showing precipitation because the precipitation is in an area where the radar cannot see it (e.g. too far from radar)
- we show all the lightning strikes that happen between each of the 6-minute radar images
The Lightning Map is not a forecast
We show lightning icons on the map when the Canadian Lightning Detection Network sees actual lightning strikes. A weather forecast gives information about the potential for thunderstorms, and their associated lightning, to happen in a region.
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