Lightning AlertsLong swim planning
Check nearby strikes before choosing your route and distance.
Swimming
See lightning nearby before you go long.
Check nearby strikes and storm movement before your open-water swim.
Real-time strike awareness.
Swimmer awareness features
Nearby storm activity
See active storms and how recently strikes appeared near the water.
Timely alerts
Get notified when lightning is near or storm activity moves closer.
In the app
See it in action
Live lightning map
Age colors and closest activity at a glance.
Find the closest strike
See the nearest strike's distance, direction, and age at a glance.
See what struck
Type, polarity, strength, age, distance, and street context.
Open from alerts
Nearby strike notifications open back to the live map.
Lightning checks for swimmers
Check the water before a long swim and keep your swim spot or pool covered.
How do I check for lightning before an open-water swim?
Open the live map for the lake, river, or beach and look at recent strikes around your route. Choose Ground in the filter to hide cloud flashes and see ground-reaching strikes more clearly.
Can I get lightning alerts for my open-water swim spot?
Set the lake, river, or beach where you swim as your saved place and turn on Lightning alerts. It gets its own alert distance, and each nearby alert says how many strikes were detected, how close the nearest one was, and how recent they are.
Can I see rain and lightning together before I get in?
Turn on radar to see radar and lightning on the same live map, so a building storm near the water is easier to spot before a long swim.
Is there an app that tracks lightning near an outdoor pool?
Yes. Lightning Alerts shows lightning strikes around the pool on a live map. Add the pool as your saved place and set its alert distance to match the pool's lightning rule, anywhere from 3 to 30 miles or 5 to 50 km. Before you head over, tap Find and pick the pool under Closest strike to see how far away the nearest strike is.
Why distance swimmers use Lightning Alerts
Built for open-water decisions. Backed by real strike data.
Plan around changing conditions
Review storm timing before committing to a longer swim.
Decide earlier near water
Spot nearby activity while there is still time to change plans.
Real strike data, not guesswork
Lightning sensor networks support real-time strike detection.