Is there an app that warns you before lightning strikes?

What "before" means

A warning that arrives when lightning is already overhead is not a warning. Before It Strikes draws a lightning watch around developing and approaching storms using radar signatures, satellite cloud tops and live strike data, so the first push usually lands minutes before the first nearby strike. The validation page shows the lead time it gave on real storms, including the ones it missed.

What it watches

• Ground-based total lightning detection with real-time cloud-to-ground and in-cloud strikes (Pro).
• Satellite lightning from the GOES geostationary lightning mapper, nationwide, for everyone.
• Radar, including a national mosaic and future radar, and official National Weather Service warnings pushed the instant they issue.

What you get for free

Lightning watches and alerts for your current location and the places you save, the three safety rings, official NWS warnings, radar, and the all-clear countdown on your Lock Screen and Apple Watch. Pro adds precise ground-based strike data, custom ring distances, the Strike Log that records every strike near you, and organization tools for schools, camps, pools and venues.

What it is not

It is not a replacement for official warnings, and it says so on every screen. The National Weather Service is the source of truth. Before It Strikes exists to give you time before the storm, and to take the guesswork out of when to go back out.

Quick answers

Is there an app that warns you before lightning strikes?

Yes. Before It Strikes warns you as a storm crosses the 15, 12 and 8 mile rings around your saved places, using real-time lightning detection and radar, and runs the all-clear countdown. It is free on iOS.

Does Before It Strikes work anywhere in the United States?

Yes. Lightning detection, radar and official warnings are nationwide, and alerts follow your current location as well as the places you save.

Is Before It Strikes free?

Yes. Lightning alerts, the safety rings, radar and official warnings are free. Pro adds precise ground-based strike data, custom ring distances and the Strike Log.

Guidance on this page follows the National Weather Service lightning safety toolkit and the Lightning Safety Guide for Sports and Special Events published by CISA and the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (May 2026). Official NWS warnings always take precedence.