ORLANDO, Fla. – For the first time in years, Florida has lost a major weather status of lightning capital of the U.S.
The title that belonged to Florida’s Four Corners region in 2024 has officially shifted out of state. Shady Grove, Oklahoma, now holds the top spot, marking the first time in four years a Florida city has not held the title.
The main reason why Shady Grove, Oklahoma, leads the pack is due to the concentration of lighting last year, logging 3,005 lightning events per square mile — enough to dethrone a Florida city.
2025 LIGHTNING REPORT
The announcement comes as lightning activity across the country surged to its highest level in eight years.
According to the 2025 Vaisala Xweather Annual Lightning Report, the U.S. recorded 252 million lightning strikes last year, a 20% increase from 2024.
What’s especially alarming is how early the lightning season peaked. The most active lightning day of 2025 occurred on April 5, well ahead of the traditional May-to-September storm season.
On that single day, more than 3 million lightning strikes were recorded across the lower 48 states as 157 severe storms, including 21 tornadoes in the Southeast, ripped through the region.
While Florida did not take the top city title this year, when adjusted for size, Florida still ranks number one in lightning density, averaging 305 lightning events per square mile.
Oklahoma followed, then Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas.
This uptick in lightning is more than a weather statistic, it’s a reminder of how much of a safety concern lightning can be.
According to the National Weather Service’s lightning fatality data, there were 20 confirmed lightning deaths in the U.S. in 2025, and Florida unfortunately led the nation with three of those deaths.
2025 LIGHTNING DEATHS
These stats reflect how serious and life-threatening lightning can be, especially for people outdoors during stormy weather.
Speaking of being outdoors, Vaisala also tracks lighting around popular football stadiums and the delays they cause.
Lightning forced at least 11 confirmed delays across NFL and NCAA football games last year.
Florida stadiums remain among the most lightning-impacted locations in the country. Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens logged the most lightning warning time nationwide, followed closely by stadiums in Baton Rouge, Tampa, and Tallahassee.
These numbers reinforce that while Florida may have lost the lightning capital crown, it remains on the front lines of lightning risk.
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