Lightning in Africa: where it strikes most and how to stay safe
Africa is home to many of the most lightning-prone places on Earth, and most deaths happen to people caught outdoors.
Published October 9, 2026
Africa is home to many of the most lightning-prone places on Earth, and most deaths happen to people caught outdoors.
Satellite studies by NASA found that more than half of the 500 places with the most lightning on Earth are in Africa. The hotspots cluster over the Congo Basin, the mountains of eastern DR Congo, Rwanda and Burundi, and around Lake Victoria, where warm moist air rises over high ground and water almost every afternoon and night during the rainy seasons. Uganda, Malawi and Zimbabwe also report regular lightning deaths.
Most victims are people who cannot easily get indoors when a storm builds: farmers in open fields, herders, fishermen on lakes and people sheltering under trees. Schools and homes built without lightning protection are a particular concern, and several countries have seen classrooms struck during afternoon storms. Grass-thatched roofs offer no protection at all.
If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck. Get inside a solid building or a closed metal vehicle, and stay there until 30 minutes after the last thunder. If you are caught in the open, stay away from tall trees, open water, wire fences and hilltops, and do not lie flat on the ground. Crouch low with your feet together if there is nowhere to go. Keep boats off lakes when storms are forecast; the rain chance on the seven-day forecast is a good early warning.