Objective:

To analyze the distribution of lightning discharges across Lithuania between 2023 and 2025 and evaluate their correlation with hourly precipitation data.

Hypotheses:

• Lightning distribution in Lithuania is uneven—territorial and temporal differences are evident.

• Higher lightning activity often coincides with intense rainfall events.

• Lightning zones frequently overlap with heavy rain zones.

• Lightning activity is closely related to short-term, intense precipitation episodes.

Findings:

• Lightning discharges are most frequent during summer months, though their quantity and distribution vary year to year.

• While high precipitation sometimes coincides with high lightning activity, the relationship is not always consistent—there are cases of rain without lightning and vice versa.

• Data variability, especially with low values, is typical of natural phenomena. Thus, while a relationship between lightning and rain exists, it is not always strong.

Data Source:

The project uses hourly precipitation data from 55 meteorological stations and lightning discharge data across Lithuania, provided by the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service (www.meteo.lt).