Lightning Density In Switzerland Second Highest In Europe

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Switzerland experienced a summer with a high number of thunderstorms. More than 22,000 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes were recorded between early June and late August. Relative to its land area, it has the second-highest density of lightning strikes in Europe, according to a report by Meteorage published on Tuesday. This content was published on September 1, 2026 - 17:07 2 minutes Keystone-SDA

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In total, the detection network run by the Météo-France subsidiary recorded 22,158 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes in Switzerland during the meteorological summer, which runs from June 1 to August 31, according to a press release. Across Europe, the total number reached 893,458.

Switzerland lags far behind major countries such as Italy, France and Spain in absolute terms. It stands out, however, when lightning activity is measured relative to the country's surface area. With 2.43 ground strikes per km2 per year, it ranks second in Europe, behind Italy (4.73), but ahead of, in particular, the Netherlands (2.39), Belgium (2.20), France (2.09) and Germany (1.30).

August was the most active month of the summer in Switzerland, with 7,993 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes, compared with 7,424 in July and 6,741 in June. Meteorage recorded 27 days of thunderstorms during the month. The peak was reached on August 28, with 1,886 lightning strikes in a single day.

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