QC / LIVE REGIONAL FEED

Quebec Lightning Map — Live Strikes

Live Quebec lightning map with recent strikes detected by NOAA GOES GLM satellites. Not an Environment and Climate Change Canada warning.

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Bolts show recent NOAA GOES East/West GLM detections. Locations are approximate; provider and display latency vary. Lime = newest, red = 1-6h, grey = older.
COVERAGE / HONESTY

What This Map Covers

Map viewport covers Quebec using recent NOAA GOES East and West Geostationary Lightning Mapper flashes. Quebec reaches from the St. Lawrence valley north to Ungava Bay and Hudson Strait, with the populated south sitting far closer to continental storm tracks than the north. The viewport spans the whole province, including Montreal, Quebec City, Laval. Thunderstorms here are a warm-season pattern, generally May through September.

GLM detects optical flashes from orbit. It does not classify every marker as a cloud-to-ground strike, replace Canadian weather radar, or predict where lightning will hit next. This is not an Environment and Climate Change Canada product and carries no warning status. GLM sits in geostationary orbit above the equator, so it sees Quebec at an increasingly shallow angle going north. Measured against the live feed, detections stop at roughly 55.5°N — the part of Quebec above that line is outside usable viewing geometry, not quiet.

Safety limit: absence of a marker never proves outdoor safety. Satellite detections can be delayed or missed, and storms move between refreshes.

SOURCE / TRACEABLE

NOAA GOES East/West GLM

Lightning Tracker requests only this selected source for the regional viewport, keeping source attribution explicit.

Read official source documentation →
REGIONAL READ

Lightning Across Quebec by Region

One map, one viewport. These notes explain what the feed usually looks like over each area.

The St. Lawrence Valley, Montreal to Quebec City

The valley funnels warm, humid air northeast between the Laurentians and the Appalachians. Most of the lightning this map detects over Quebec falls in this corridor, and storms frequently track along the river rather than across it.

The Eastern Townships and the Appalachian uplands

Rising terrain southeast of the valley gives air an extra push upward, so storms that formed over the border states often arrive here already mature.

Northern Quebec and Nunavik

A vast, thinly populated region where thunderstorms are far less frequent than in the south — and where the satellite's viewing angle becomes too shallow to be relied on. Treat an empty map in the far north as an absence of evidence, not evidence of absence.

FIELD NOTES

Quebec Lightning Map FAQ

Is this Quebec lightning map live?

The map requests recent flashes from NOAA GOES East/West GLM. It refreshes while open, but network, satellite processing, and public-feed delays can occur.

What does the Quebec lightning map show?

It plots recent satellite-detected lightning flashes inside the Quebec regional viewport. It is a lightning-detection layer, not precipitation radar and not a forecast of the next strike.

Can I use this map instead of an official weather warning?

No. Use Environment and Climate Change Canada watches and warnings and local emergency guidance. If you hear thunder, move into a substantial building or hard-topped vehicle and wait 30 minutes after the last thunder.

Is there lightning in Quebec right now?

Open the live map above. It plots lightning flashes detected over Quebec by the NOAA GOES East and West Geostationary Lightning Mapper, refreshed while the page is open. An empty map means no recent detections in the feed, not proof that no storm is developing.

Does this replace an Environment and Climate Change Canada warning?

No. Environment and Climate Change Canada issues the official severe thunderstorm watches and warnings for Quebec, and that is the source to follow for risk and safety guidance. This map shows where flashes have already been detected, which is a different question from what is forecast.

Which parts of Quebec does this map cover?

The viewport is set to the whole province, so Montreal, Quebec City, Laval, Gatineau, Sherbrooke and the areas between and beyond them are all inside it. Zooming in does not change the source: every zoom level requests the same NOAA GOES GLM feed.

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