How often lighting strikes occur in Brevard County might surprise you

Michelle Spitzer, Florida Today
Updated ·2 min read

Those afternoon summer storms Florida is known for are right around the corner.

With the wind, rain and clouds comes the lightning. Lots of it. Especially here in Brevard County.

The county was the second most lightning-prone metropolitan area in the country in 2023, according to a report by Vaisala Xweather, which tracks strokes of lightning.

No surprise, but Florida areas claimed the top five stops.

Summer was the most reported time for lightning strikes, with June as the peak month.

What did the report say about lightning strikes in Brevard?

The report ranked metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.

Brevard reportedly had 26.6 lightning strikes per square kilometer.

The report counted in-cloud lightning and cloud-to-ground lightning.

In-cloud lightning flashes are made up of pulses of electricity that connect regions of positive and negative charge in a cloud. An in-cloud lightning flash can extend for hundreds of kilometers and occur within multiple clouds.

Cloud-to-ground lightning is the term scientists use for the rapid discharge of an electrical charge between a cloud to the ground. A stroke is the bright, high-current, visible part of lightning that touches the ground or an object.

What other cities ranked high for lightning strikes?

A 30 second exposure of heat lightning in the clouds rolling in over the Banana River and the Thousand Islands in Cocoa Beach after dusk.
A 30 second exposure of heat lightning in the clouds rolling in over the Banana River and the Thousand Islands in Cocoa Beach after dusk.

  • 1. Miami-Fort Lauderdale – 35.1

  • 2. Brevard County – 26.6

  • 3. Cape Coral – 22.7

  • 4. Orlando – 21.5

  • 5. Jacksonville - 18.8

  • 6. New Orleans – 15.9

  • 7. Houston – 15.9

  • 8. Baton Rouge – 15.8

  • 9. Memphis 15.9

  • 10. Birmingham 13.4

How to avoid getting struck by lightning

Lightning caused 13 deaths in the U.S. in 2023, according to the National Weather Service. That’s down from 19 the previous year.

It’s best to go in a building or vehicle to avoid storms accompanied by lightning. Lightning can strike up to 10 miles from a cloud before and after rain falls, according to the National Lightning Safety Council.

Head inside the moment you hear thunder, and wait 30 minutes until the last clash of thunder before going back outside.

Avoid washing dishes or bathing during storms as lightning can travel through a building’s plumbing. It’s also capable of traveling through electrical system so stay away from electronics such as computers and gaming systems.

Spitzer is a trending reporter. She can be reached at Mspitzer@Floridatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard affected by lightning more than you might expect