There's a new lightning capital of the US. It's no longer Florida.

The U.S. has a new lightning champion.

Oklahoma has dethroned Florida to become the nation's lightning capital, according to a new report released Monday, Jan. 5.

With approximately 73 lightning flashes per square mile last year, Oklahoma displaced the state that has traditionally dominated this ranking, "signaling a broader surge in lightning activity across the Great Plains," according to the report.

"Oklahoma's rise to the top of our lightning rankings represents a significant shift in 2025's weather patterns compared with past years," said Elizabeth DiGangi, a lightning scientist at environmental consulting firm AEM, in a statement. Thanks to new technology, she said that "we can see how lightning patterns are evolving, with the Great Plains emerging as an increasingly active region for high-impact storms."

The firm used data from its lightning detection network, which includes 1,800 sensors across the United States.