About Lightning Tracker

Making real-time lightning data accessible to everyone for safety and awareness.

Developer

Lightning Tracker is built by Nikolai Iakubovskii, an independent software developer based in Spain. The project combines real-time satellite data processing, spatial analysis, and mobile development to deliver lightning strike information directly to your phone.

Data Sources

Lightning Tracker relies on publicly available NOAA data for accuracy and reliability.

NOAA GOES-19 GLM

Geostationary Lightning Mapper

The GLM instrument aboard the GOES-19 satellite detects lightning flashes from geostationary orbit at approximately 35,786 km altitude. It captures total lightning activity — both cloud-to-ground and intra-cloud — across the Western Hemisphere with near-continuous coverage. Data is updated every 30 seconds and delivered via NOAA's public data infrastructure.

Learn more about GOES-19 GLM →

NOAA Storm Prediction Center

Convective Outlooks & Forecasts

The SPC provides daily convective outlooks covering days 1 through 8, including categorical risk levels (Marginal, Slight, Enhanced, Moderate, High) and probabilistic forecasts for thunderstorms, hail, wind, and tornadoes. These forecasts drive the 7-day storm risk predictions in Lightning Tracker.

Visit the Storm Prediction Center →

How It Works

1

Satellite Detection

GOES-19 GLM detects lightning flashes from orbit and publishes data as NetCDF4 files every 30 seconds.

2

Data Processing

Our server polls NOAA data, parses flash coordinates and energy, deduplicates, and stores in a PostGIS spatial database.

3

Storm Clustering

Nearby flashes are grouped into storm zones using grid-based spatial clustering. Storm identity is tracked over time.

4

Real-Time Delivery

Lightning strikes, storm zones, and track predictions are broadcast to the app via WebSocket. Push alerts fire when storms approach.

Contact

Questions, feedback, or support requests: [email protected]