Lightning Products (Premium Layer)

Tomorrow.io’s Lightning Layer provides a comprehensive set of tools for monitoring lightning activity, issuing real-time alerts, and improving operational decision-making in storm-sensitive environments.

🔒 This is a premium feature. For access, contact your Tomorrow.io Account Team or sales@tomorrow.io.

Forecast Lightning – LFDR

Lightning Flash Rate Density (LFDR) is a forecast-only, global parameter that estimates the number of lightning flashes per square kilometer (or mile) every 5 minutes.

• Forecast range: up to 90 hours
• Data is modeled and not real-time
• LFDR is calculated as the number of lightning flashes per grid cell divided by the grid cell's area

⚠️ LFDR is not a real-time monitoring tool. For real-time alerts, see below.

Global Lightning Map Layer

The global lightning strikes view offers real-time insights into lightning activity anywhere in the world.

Icon Color Meanings:

Color	Time of Strike
Red	Now
Purple	Up to 10 minutes ago
Light Blue	11–20 minutes ago
Gray	More than 30 minutes ago

Historical Playback Features

Investigation Phase

Review up to 30 minutes of historical lightning by clicking on the timeline. The map will freeze and display a gray tile overlay, allowing users to investigate recent activity in detail.

Play Tiles Feature

This allows users to animate historical lightning data and observe storm movement over time — helpful for forecasting trends and understanding the evolution of a storm system.

Real-Time Lightning Alerts (Platform)

Users can configure real-time lightning alerts for cloud-to-ground (C2G) and cloud-to-cloud (C2C) events for any saved point location.

⚠️ Lightning alerts are available for point locations only (not supported for polygons, polylines, or clusters).

Setting Up Alerts

Go to the Alerts page to:

• Create new alerts by specifying lightning type, location, and proximity
• Define custom thresholds and all-clear conditions
• Assign recipients for notifications
• Edit or delete existing alerts as needed

All-Clear Alerts

The platform supports real-time all-clear notifications, which indicate when lightning activity has subsided within the defined area.

Key functionalities:

• Countdown Timers: A visible countdown is displayed on the map, showing the remaining time until the area is declared “all clear”
• Lightning Rings: Visual map rings highlight affected zones; these appear when zoomed in
• Unified All-Clear Notification: Users can opt for a single notification combining C2G and C2C strikes by selecting the checkbox in the alert configuration menu
• Enhanced Precision: Countdown timers now include seconds for more accurate tracking

Note: New lightning alerts may take up to 1 hour to activate.

Activating Lightning Alerts on the Map

To enable the countdown and rings:

1. Open the Lightning Map Layer
2. Toggle on Cloud-to-Cloud and/or Cloud-to-Ground Countdown Alerts
3. Zoom in to view lightning rings
4. Receive real-time visual updates when alerts are triggered

Note: The location must be configured to receive lightning alerts in order to display lightning rings on the map. If all settings are correct, you’ll see the rings in gray even when no strikes are currently occurring.

Need Help?

If you're a customer and need assistance using or configuring the Lightning Layer, please reach out to your Account Team or email support@tomorrow.io.