Texas Had 40 Million Lightning Strikes Last Year

According to the Vaisala Xweather Lightning Report for 2024, Texas had 40,000 lightning strikes last year. Some of these are considered cloud-based. Others hit cloud to ground. 

The data on the strikes is correct to a distance of less than 84 meters, which is about the length of a football field. 

The U.S. total for last year by the same measure was 209 million. 

Texas also has what is known as the “lightning capital of the world,” Teague had 35 events per kilometer. The town is south of Dallas and east of Waco.

Lightning Deaths

Lightning is rarely dangerous to humans. There have been two lightning-related deaths in 2025. 

According to the Insurance Information Institute, the total insurance claims from lightning strikes was $1.2 billion in 2023. There were 70,787 claims with the average claim value of $17,513. Claims were up 14% from the previous year. The state with the largest dollar figure for claims was Texas at $194 million, followed by Florida at $105 million. 

Based on the III data, a review of the years from 2017 to 2023 does not indicate an increase in damage.

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