Image by NOAA.Įlectrical charge in storm clouds: A model of electrical charge distribution within a storm cloud. Lightning photograph: A night-time photograph of multiple cloud-to-ground and cloud-to-cloud lightning strokes. These factors significantly reduce the amount of lightning produced near the poles.
There is also very little moisture in polar air. The poles have very little lightning because their white snow- and ice-covered surfaces are not effectively warmed by the sun to produce convection. The maps also show that more lightning occurs near the equator than at the poles. The interaction between air masses of different temperature stimulates thunderstorms and lightning. The heated land surface warms the air above it, and that warm air rises to encounter cold air aloft. Much more lightning occurs over land than over the ocean because daily sunshine heats the land surface faster than the ocean. This data was plotted geographically to create the maps. The maps on this page are based upon the average yearly count of lightning flashes per unit of area. Data from these satellites is transmitted to Earth and used to construct a geographic record of lightning activity over time. NASA has satellites orbiting the Earth with sensors designed to detect lightning. These conditions occur almost daily in many parts of the Earth, but only rarely in other areas. The ideal conditions for producing lightning and associated thunderstorms occur where warm, moist air rises and mixes with cold air above. The distribution of lightning on Earth is far from uniform. Related: Earth's Lightning Hotspots Mapping the World's Lightning Activity For these reasons, maps that show the distribution of lightning across the Earth are important for economic, environmental, and safety reasons. In addition, lightning costs airlines billions of dollars per year in flight rerouting and delays. Each year lightning is also responsible for billions of dollars in damage to buildings, communication systems, power lines, and electrical equipment. These electrical discharges are powerful and deadly.Įach year, lightning strikes kill people, livestock, and wildlife. Globally, there are about 40 to 50 flashes of lightning every second, or nearly 1.4 billion flashes per year. Lightning is a sudden high-voltage discharge of electricity that occurs within a cloud, between clouds, or between a cloud and the ground. Global Lightning Activity Map: A portion of the Global Lightning Activity Map produced by NASA in 2015 using data collected between 19 by the Lightning Imaging Sensor on NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite.
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