Maps and statistics: lightning in Canada

• Annual number of cloud-to-ground lightning flashes in Canada
• Average monthly cloud-to-ground lightning flashes in Canada
• Average dates for the beginning and ending of lightning season in Western and Eastern Canada
  • Average dates for the beginning of lightning season in Western Canada
  • Average dates for the beginning of lightning season in Eastern Canada
  • Average dates for the end of lightning season in Western Canada
  • Average dates for the end of lightning season in Eastern Canada
• Percentage of lightning occurring between 10:30 pm and 10:30 am local time in Western and Eastern Canada
  • Percentage of lightning occurring between 10:30 pm and 10:30 am local time in Western Canada
  • Percentage of lightning occurring between 10:30 pm and 10:30 am local time in Eastern Canada
• Fast Canadian lightning facts

Annual number of cloud-to-ground lightning flashes in Canada, from 1999 to 2018, broken down by year

The table below shows the number of annual cloud-to-ground lightning flashes recorded in Canada from 1999 to 2018. The numbers range from a maximum of 2.963 million flashes in 2005, to the minimum of 1.5709 million flashes in 2009.

Average monthly cloud-to-ground lightning flashes in Canada (1999-2018)

The table below shows the average number of lightning flashes in Canada, broken down by month. As you can see, July is the month that has the most lightning strikes, followed by August and June. It is interesting to note that lightning is reported in Canada in every month of the year.

Average dates for the beginning and ending of lightning season in Western and Eastern Canada (1999-2018)

The length of the lightning season varies greatly across Canada, but there is one distinct pattern: the season becomes shorter the farther north one goes. In the North, the average season runs from mid-to-late May until late August to mid September. Over southern Ontario, the average lightning season extends from mid-March to early November. Lightning occurs virtually year round in the Pacific coastal region, over southern Nova Scotia, and offshore over the oceans on both east and west coasts.

Average date of beginning of the lightning season in Western Canada (1999-2018)

Average date of beginning of the lightning season in Eastern Canada (1999-2018)

Average date of the end of the lightning season in Western Canada (1999-2018)

Average date of the end of the lightning season in Eastern Canada (1999-2018)

Percentage of lightning occurring between 10:30 p.m. and 10:30 a.m. local time in Western and Eastern Canada (1999-2018)

Most of us associate lightning with thunderstorms that form during the day, driven by the heat that comes from the sun. However, in some areas of the country nocturnal lightning (lightning that occurs at night) can account for almost half of all lightning. This includes portions of east-central Alberta and the southern halves of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. There is an extreme of 65.7 percent nocturnal lightning in western Saskatchewan near Quill Lake. The eastern Canadian maximum for nocturnal lightning is 62.8 percent just west of Massey, Ontario on the north shore of Georgian Bay.

Percentage of lightning occurring between 10:30 p.m. and 10:30 a.m. local time in Western Canada (1999-2018)

Percentage of lightning occurring between 10:30 p.m. and 10:30 a.m. local time in Eastern Canada (1999-2018)

Fast Canadian lightning facts

• The approximate number of cloud-to-ground lightning flashes detected in Canada since the Canadian Lightning Detection Network (CLDN) began in 1999 is 45 million.
• The average number of cloud-to-ground lightning flashes per year in Canada is 2.2521 million.
• The minimum number of cloud-to-ground lightning flashes in Canada in one year was 1.5709 million in 2009.
• The maximum number of cloud-to-ground lightning flashes in Canada in one year was 2.9682 million in 2005.
• The northern most cloud-to-ground lightning flash detected in Canada was detected at 74.0074 degrees North and 134.6374 degrees West, which is over 500 km north of Tuktoyaktuk. The lightning strike was recorded on August 11, 2013.
• The month with the greatest number of cloud-to-ground lightning flashes in Canada is July.
• The most frequent time of day for lightning is between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. local time for the majority of Canada.
• The city with the greatest average number of days of lightning in Canada is Windsor, Ontario with an annual average of 50.1 days.
• The Canadian region with the greatest annual number of days with lightning in any one year is the municipality of Chatham-Kent, Ontario, which experienced 64 days with lightning in 2006.