2 Florida airports see the most lightning strikes in the U.S., per new report | FOX 51 Gainesville
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2 Florida airports see the most lightning strikes in the U.S., per new report

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Published  June 4, 2025 9:42am EDT
Travel News
FOX 35 Orlando
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The Brief

    • A new report lists the top U.S. cities and states with the most lightning strikes in 2024.
    • Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, Kansas and Louisiana lead in total lightning activity.
    • The top two airports with the most lightning activity are the Miami International Airport and the Orlando International Airport.

FLORIDA - A new report lists the top U.S. cities and states with the most lightning strikes in 2024 — and two Florida airports rank at the very top of the list. 

Lightning at Florida airports

Local perspective:

Vaisala Weather recently released its annual lightning report for 2024, and two Florida airports ranked in the highest positions.

Vaisala Weather said there are two types of lightning: In-cloud is where it can extend hundreds of kilometers and occur in multiple clouds. Cloud-to-ground lightning is when the bolt touches the ground or an object. 

The lightning count is defined as how many lightning strikes you see where has lightning density focuses more on how many lightning strikes per km2.

Here's what the study found:

Miami International Airport 

  • Ranked No. 1
  • 115 average annual hours with nearby lightning
  • 52,340,934 annual passengers in 2023

Orlando International Airport 

  • Ranked No. 2
  • 109 average annual hours with nearby lightning
  • 57,735,726 annual passengers in 2023

The Orlando International Airport (MCO)

Where lightning strikes the most in the US

Big picture view:

Lightning strikes some 25 million times a year in the U.S. and kills an average of 47 people, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

According to Vaisala Weather, Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, Kansas and Louisiana are among the top states with the most lightning strikes. 

The cities with the most lightning strikes include Teague, Texas; Kingsland, Georgia; Orlando, Florida; Fordland, Missouri; and Ralston, Oklahoma. 

What to do when lightning occurs 

What you can do:

NWS provides several helpful tips for protecting yourself from lightning. 

If you are outdoors and hear thunder, move as quickly as possible to a "substantial" building that has electricity or plumbing, or an enclosed, metal-topped vehicle with the windows completely up. If indoors, stay off corded phones, computers and other electronic equipment that provide direct contact with electricity.

In addition to avoiding plumbing, such as sinks, baths and faucets, officials recommend staying away from windows and doors — and not lying on concrete floors or leaning on concrete walls.

For those caught outside with no safe shelter available, officials offer the following tips to help reduce the risk of being struck:

  • Never lie flat on the ground or shelter under an isolated tree.
  • Never take shelter on a cliff or rocky underhang.
  • Stay off elevated areas.
  • When thunderstorms approach, get out of and stay away from bodies of water.
  • Stay away from objects that conduct electricity, such as power lines and barbwire fences.

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The Source: This story was written based on information gathered from the National Weather Service (NWS) and from the annual lightning report released by Vaisala Weather.

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