Lightning Atlas 2022
This map shows where in Germany most lightning strikes
The lightning atlas shows where most lightning struck in Germany in 2022. An interactive version can be found further down in the article
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The number of lightning strikes has decreased over the past year, but almost half a million strikes have still been recorded in Germany. See where lightning strikes most often.
Table of contents
Around 242,000 registered lightning strikes in Germany in 2022. Last year there were twice as many. The strikes are recorded by the so-called lightning information service from Siemens, which published a new edition of the lightning atlas this week. The reference value for the comparison is the so-called lightning density, the recorded number of lightning strikes per square kilometer. The range of density is very wide: Last year, for example, 0.31 lightning strikes per square kilometer struck in the district of Dithmarschen in Schleswig-Holstein, and in the comparably large district of Ostallgäu it was 2.2. The city with the most frequent strikes was Kempten im Allgäu with a lightning density of 2.4. The average value in Germany in 2022 was around 0.7 impacts per square kilometer. The map below shows how often lightning has struck in your area.
Interactive map: Where in Germany in 2022 the most lightning struck
Overall, the fewest lightning bolts have been recorded since measurements began in 1991, according to a press release from Blitzinformationsdienst. Its manager Stephan Thern explained: “In the summer, especially in June and August, there was sometimes extreme drought with high temperatures of over 35 degrees. This time is usually the best time for thunderstorms. But the amount of precipitation was well below the target value. For thunderstorms, but it’s both – humidity and hot temperatures”. According to Thern, the fact that the southern regions in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg were once again at the top of the lightning rankings is due to their proximity to the edge of the Alps.
The danger that lightning strikes can pose became clear last weekend. On Saturday, lightning struck a tree at a tourist restaurant under which people were sitting at a beer table. A 35-year-old died as a result of the impact, a 43-year-old woman and an eleven-year-old boy were critically injured. Experts advise not to seek shelter under trees during thunderstorms:
Tips on how to behave in thunderstorms
Source:Siemens lightning atlas, agencies