Statistical Analysis Reveals Approximately 17,500 Lightning Strikes in Berlin-Brandenburg

In the year 2024, a total of approximately 17,500 lightning strikes were recorded in the Berlin-Brandenburg region, according to recent statistics released by the lightning detection company ALDIS. This figure reflects a slight decrease of about 1% compared to the ten-year average from 2015 to 2024.

On a national scale, Germany experienced 209,619 lightning strikes throughout the year, occurring on average every two and a half minutes. While this frequency is considered relatively low in the long-term context, it represents an increase compared to the previous two years.

Interestingly, Bavaria emerged as the region with the highest incidence of lightning strikes, accounting for over 56,000 events--approximately 27% of all lightning occurrences recorded in Germany. The three districts with the greatest lightning density are all located in Bavaria. Leading the list is Rosenheim, which reported more than 3,000 strikes, translating to about 2.98 strikes per square kilometer for the entire year of 2024. Following Rosenheim are Miesbach and Kempten, with densities of 2.29 and 2.22 strikes per square kilometer, respectively.

The formation of lightning is heavily influenced by weather conditions, particularly temperature and humidity, which enhance the likelihood of lightning activity. As a result, lightning is most commonly observed during the summer months. In years characterized by dry weather, the frequency of lightning strikes tends to diminish.

It is important to note that the figures reported by ALDIS may differ from those presented in other lightning statistics, which could yield varying results. The statistics provided by ALDIS exclusively account for ground strikes, meaning only direct hits to the earth are included, and each individual lightning event is counted only once. This is significant because multiple discharges can occur within a single lightning channel in rapid succession, often perceived as a flickering flash. Previous statistics may have counted these occurrences multiple times, but the current methodology ensures that each event is tallied just once.