Top 10 US cities with the highest density of lightning strikes

We found this recent article published by Accuweather based on the (NOAA) storm events database. You can read the full article here.

Top 10 US cities with the highest density of lightning strikes
By Heather Schlitz, AccuWeather staff writer

Summary:

The cities with the most lightning strikes relative to population density lie primarily in the West and Midwest. Out of cities with populations greater than 100,000, the cities with the highest number of lightning strikes relative to population density lie in the South.

Top 10 cities with the highest lightning strike densities.

1. Green River, WY
2. Rock Springs, WY
3. Dickinson, ND
4. Pierre, SD
5. North Platte, NE
6. Vernal, UT
7. Huron, SD
8. Spearfish, SD
9. Kirksville, MO
10. Hays, KS

Top 10 cities with the highest lightning densities (out of cities with populations higher than 100,000)

1. Baton Rouge, LA
2. Huntsville, AL
3. Shreveport, LA
4. Boise, ID
5. Abilene, TX
6. Jacksonville, FL
7. Mobile, AL
8. Lafayette, LA
9. Little Rock, AR
10. Wilmington, NC

The most damaging and threatening lightning events often take place in the southern Rockies and Great Plains, according to AccuWeather’s Impact Indicator™ algorithm. These areas typically see the highest number of deaths, injuries and damage to property as a result of lightning strikes.

AccuWeather based its analysis on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) storm events database, which collects records on reported lightning strikes. The NOAA database doesn’t contain records for all lightning strikes, as a lightning strike is typically only reported to NOAA if it has caused damage, injury or death.