Nearly a Million Lightning Strikes in Germany – More Than 2025, But Below Average

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents Nearly a Million Lightning Strikes in Germany – More Than 2025, But Below Average.

The summer is over – and the thunderstorm tally comes in surprisingly modest: nearly a million lightning strikes were recorded in Germany. As stern reports, this means more lightning than in the previous year 2025, but overall less than usual.

As stern writes, the dry summer has come to an end. The low humidity likely also had an impact on thunderstorms – anyone who heard little thunder in recent weeks was right.

More Than 2025 – and Still Below Average

The apparent contradiction resolves quickly: taking 2025 as a comparison value, you see an increase. Taking the long-term average, you see the opposite – this summer falls below it. The roughly one million marks the lower end of what is typically expected in a German summer for lightning strikes.

Why Dryness Slows Down Thunderstorms

Thunderstorms need moisture. Where the air stays dry for weeks, there's simply no driving force for strong cloud formation. This is exactly the link seen in the tally: in plain terms – 2025 was probably a particularly lightning-poor comparison year, and this summer barely moves above it.

What's Changing Now

With the end of summer dryness, the chance of thunderstorms returns: cooler air and rising humidity will create better conditions for lightning and thunder in the coming weeks.