(NEXSTAR) – The Sunshine State, which may be just as well-known for its storm activity, is no longer the lightning capital of the U.S., according to a new report.
Oklahoma unseated Florida in 2025 when it comes to flash density, registering 73 per square mile, according to environmental consulting firm AEM. Kay County in Oklahoma experienced 123.4 flashes per square mile, the most of any county in the nation, AEM analysts found.
The company’s Earth Networks Total Lightning Network (ENTLN) relies on over 1,800 sensors that detect lightning activity across the U.S. in real time, according to AEM.
“Oklahoma’s rise to the top of our lightning rankings represents a significant shift in 2025’s weather patterns compared with past years,” Dr. Elizabeth DiGangi, a lightning scientist at AEM, said in a news release. “Because ENTLN captures lightning activity with exceptional coverage and precision, we can see how lightning patterns are evolving, with the Great Plains emerging as an increasingly active region for high-impact storms.”
DiGangi told Nexstar that the shakeup at the top of the ranking was due to a combination of factors that included “the persistent drought in in parts of Florida during 2025, zero landfalling hurricanes in 2025 and a very active severe weather season for the plains, including a lot of mesoscale convective systems that moved through Oklahoma through the summer.”
Mesoscale convective systems are collections of storms that act together as a single system, powerful enough to cross an entire state and last for 12 hours, according to the National Weather Service.
As for the U.S. leaders in lightning flash density, Oklahoma was followed by Florida, Louisiana and Kansas, respectively.
While Oklahoma led the way in flashes per square mile, Texas experienced the most lightning flashes overall – 13 million, according to AEM – which was far above its historical average of 1.3 million.
Additional takeaways from the 2025 report
Beyond state and county rankings, AEM shared a preview of additional findings from the report:
- You may want to check the forecast before leaving the house on June 15, the “most lightning-intense day of the year” in 2025, with 926,016 flashes.
- Eight of the nation’s busiest airports saw their peak lightning day fall during the hectic summer travel season.
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport had over 10,000 lightning flashes in 2025.
- The top U.S. landmark when it comes to lightning was Chicago’s Millennium Park, where visitors were exposed to more than 11,000 lightning flashes.
- When it comes to the largest U.S. stadiums, the three that saw the most lightning exposure were Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Kyle Field in College Station, Texas; and Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, Texas.
Florida still leads nation in lightning deaths
When it comes to fatal lightning strikes, however, Florida still leads all states by a sizable margin, according to the National Lightning Safety Council.
Since 2006, Florida had 97 deaths followed by Texas (42) and Colorado (27), according to a July, 2025 report.
The only states that didn’t record a fatal lightning strike during that period were Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, New Hampshire and Washington.