ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A Central Florida town just miles away from Walt Disney World has earned the 2022 Lightning Capital of the United States title, a spot previously held by another area near Orlando.
For the last six years, Vaisala has released its annual lightning report showing the most remarkable lightning events and trends. The report also highlights 2022 extremes including record-breaking volcanic lightning and record low-water levels due to fewer thunderstorms over the last 12 months.
Four Corners, Florida, an area about 30 miles from Orlando, saw 1,229 lightning events per square mile last year, according to the report. It's the highest density of lightning of any community in the country, which is why Four Corners is now the 2022 Lightning Capital of the U.S.
The unincorporated suburban community steals the spot from Flatonia, Texas, the 2021 lightning capital.
Florida, as a whole, also landed the top spot in the nation for total lightning density with 285 lightning events per square mile. It's an increase of 27% compared with 2021, Vaisala reports. But Texas remains the U.S. lightning count leader with 27,696,688 total lightning events in 2022, data shows. The previous year, Texas saw 41 million events.
The 2022 annual lightning report also spotlights extreme events over the course of year. A lack of thunderstorms last year dried up North America's largest river, the Mississippi River, according to the report. Drought plus an 11% decrease in lightning over the basin led to the river's lowest water level in decades.
There was also record-breaking volcanic lightning. Vaisala reports that the "eruption of the Hunga Volcano in the Pacific Ocean between December 19, 2021, and January 16, 2022, triggered over 600,000 lightning events."