Lightning AlertsFind the strongest strikes
Color strikes by strength, then tap Find and choose Strongest in view. Darker blue marks stronger strikes.
Live lightning map · iOS and Android
Find the lightning before you set up the shot.
See where the newest strikes are on the live map, color them by strength to find the strongest, and show only positive ground strikes when you chase sprites. Tap a strike to see how far away it is and in which direction.
Find the storm. Frame the shot.
Photo: Tyler S. Leavitt
Lightning photography features
Positive strikes for sprite chasing
Tap Filter, choose Ground, then Positive. Positive strikes are less common and often stronger, and the strongest can trigger sprites.
Distance and direction
Open a strike to see how far away it is and in which direction, with its age, type, strength and polarity when available.
From a sprite chaser
Tyler asked us for a way to show only positive ground strikes. We added it.
“They added my filter. How cool. So out of over 2000 lightning strikes in Texas right now, 13 were positive cloud to ground strikes, the kind likely to cause sprites. What a cool feature.”
In the app
From the live map to one strike
Color strikes by strength, show only ground or positive strikes and open one strike for its details.
Storm strength view
See strike strength distribution, not just dots.
Filter cloud flashes
Use Ground mode when storms fill the map.
See what struck
Type, polarity, strength, age, distance, and street context.
Lightning and sprite photography: find the storm in the app
Find active lightning, compare strike strength, pick out positive strikes for sprite chasing and know which way to point the camera.
Can I show only positive strikes for sprite chasing?
Yes. On the live map, tap Filter, choose Ground, then Positive. Only positive ground strikes stay on the map. They are less common and often stronger, and the strongest can trigger sprites: red flashes high above the storm. Use the strength slider to hide weaker strikes, then tap Find and choose Strongest in view.
How far from the storm should I be to see sprites?
Sprite chasers often watch storms about 100 to 300 miles (160 to 480 km) away, from a dark place with a clear sky. From there they can see above the clouds. Zoom out on the live map to find active storms at that distance, then tap a strike to see how far away it is and in which direction.
How do I find lightning to photograph?
Open the live map. Red marks the newest strikes, up to 10 minutes old, then orange and pale yellow for strikes up to 60 minutes old. Tap Radar to see the rain around each group of strikes, and start radar playback to see which way the storm has moved.
Can I see which storm has the strongest lightning?
Yes. On the live map, tap the New–Old legend and choose Strength. Strikes turn from light blue for weaker to dark blue for stronger, measured as peak current in kA. Tap Find and choose Strongest in view to jump to the strongest strike on the screen.
Can I show only ground strikes or only cloud flashes?
Yes. Tap Filter and choose Ground for ground-reaching strikes or Cloud for intracloud flashes. The sliders hide old or weak strikes, and the count shows how many strikes in view match. Open a strike to see its type, strength and polarity when available.
Plan lightning and sprite photos with Lightning Alerts
Live strikes, strength, radar and alerts in one focused lightning app.
Backed by lightning data
Enterprise-grade lightning data places each detected strike on the map, with its type, strength and polarity when available.
Open the map without an account
Check active storms near you without creating an app account.
Alerts for your spot
Save one place, such as a viewpoint, and give it its own alert distance, so you know when lightning comes near.