By Boltwatch ·
Lightning map for Europe and Africa: what the dots mean
Boltwatch shows reported lightning across Europe and Africa using EUMETSAT's Meteosat Lightning Imager. Open the map to explore recent flashes, then check the source and delay before reading an empty area as quiet weather.
Open the Europe lightning mapA dot is a reported flash
The Meteosat Lightning Imager detects lightning in clouds, between clouds and towards the ground. Its observations cover Europe, Africa and surrounding regions. Satellite dots show observed flashes; they do not tell you which building or street was hit.
The map also includes NOAA's GOES lightning observations over the Americas and nearby oceans. The Finnish Meteorological Institute supplies ground-network reports across the Nordics and Baltics. You can select sources in map settings and tap a dot to see its source.
Europe's reports arrive in batches
Boltwatch collects Meteosat products covering ten minutes at a time, with delivery time on top. A flash near the start of a product can already be more than ten minutes old when it appears. GOES data usually arrives sooner. Sources can stop or fall behind, and the delay depends on the data currently shown.
Use the 15-minute, 30-minute, one-hour or three-hour window to explore recent activity. Colours show flash age. This is a view of observations that have arrived, rather than a forecast of where lightning will happen next.
Checking lightning near a place
Tap “Near me” to use your location, or open a place map such as the United Kingdom. The nearby panel shows the distance and direction to recent detected lightning. “Closer” and “Farther” describe changes in recent flash distances; they do not promise a storm arrival time.
You can also save lightning alert settings in a supported browser. Reports and notifications can be delayed or missed. Saving settings confirms that they reached Boltwatch's server; it does not confirm delivery to your device. Boltwatch does not send an all-clear based on a quiet feed.
An empty map has limits
Some flashes are missed, some reports arrive late, and parts of Asia and Oceania remain outside Boltwatch's current coverage. The map explains those known gaps and lets you request coverage for a region. A request helps us choose future work; it does not promise a launch date.
An empty map doesn't mean it's safe outside. If you hear thunder, go indoors and follow official weather warnings. For the full source details, read how Boltwatch's lightning data works.