Do Satellites Detect Lightning In Sky During Hurricanes?

I’ve dug into this because I enjoy comparing space instruments with ground tools: yes, satellites detect lightning during hurricanes, but how they do it varies. Geostationary instruments like GLM provide continuous monitoring over a hemisphere and are tuned to optical emissions (notably around the oxygen 777.4 nm line). They excel at mapping total lightning (in-cloud plus cloud-to-ground) in near-real time, which is invaluable for tracking lightning bursts in the eyewall or rainbands.

By contrast, low-Earth-orbit sensors such as the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) on TRMM and later on the ISS offered higher spatial sensitivity but only sporadic coverage. Complementary radio networks pick up sferics and can better locate cloud-to-ground strokes. Practically, this means during a hurricane you’ll often see satellites capture the big, bright flashes — and when a storm is reorganizing, those flashes can be a sign of intensification. Limitations include solar contamination during the day, scattering by very thick clouds, and detection thresholds for weaker intracloud lightning, so combining datasets gives the best situational awareness.

Sometimes I joke that satellites are the ultimate storm paparazzi — and they really can catch lightning in a hurricane. From my late-night scrolling, I’ve seen the GLM (that bright, continuous satellite lightning product) light up when an eyewall reorganizes or when outer bands get rowdy. Satellites mainly pick up those bright optical flashes from lightning, but there are also orbiters and radio networks that listen for electromagnetic pulses.

Hurricanes are weird: a mature, steady storm might show relatively little lightning in its eye, while sudden clusters of lightning in the inner core can indicate intensification. Still, satellites don’t see everything — faint intracloud pulses can be missed, and daytime glare or very thick scattering can obscure signals. For anyone curious, check satellite lightning alongside radar and ground-based lightning maps; together they tell a much richer story than any single feed alone.

Clouds can be thick enough to feel like a wall, but satellites absolutely do spot lightning inside hurricanes — I geek out about the GOES satellite loops for this. Geostationary sensors, like the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) on the GOES-R series, watch broad swaths of the Western Hemisphere and pick up the tiny optical flashes that lightning makes, especially the oxygen emission around 777 nm. Those optical flashes show up even inside the dense tops of hurricane clouds, and you can actually see patterns: inner-core bursts, eyewall activity, or lively outer rainbands.

Those space observations get mixed with ground and other space-based systems. Low-earth-orbit sensors such as the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) on TRMM and later on the ISS gave great high-resolution snapshots in the past, while global networks that sense radio pulses (WWLLN, GLD360, and similar) help find cloud-to-ground strikes and improve timing. The catch is resolution and viewing geometry: geostationary GLM sees continuous coverage but limits faint pulses, and sunlight or thick scattering can hide small intra-cloud flashes.

If you like storm-watching, tracking GLM loops alongside radar gives a cool, almost cinematic view of how a hurricane breathes electrically. I tend to check those loops when a storm's predicted to intensify — lightning surges in the core sometimes hint at structural changes — so keep an eye on both optical and radio maps if you want the full picture.

On quiet afternoons I’ll pull up satellite loops and watch a hurricane’s lightning like it’s a slow, electric heartbeat. Satellites do see lightning in hurricanes — optical sensors spot the bright flashes, and radio-based space instruments or ground networks fill in gaps. I’ve noticed that outer bands frequently flare up with lots of strikes, while the calm eye can be almost eerie.

Still, it’s not perfect: sunlight, viewing angle, and very faint intracloud pulses can hide details. If you’re curious, compare a GLM loop with a lightning strike map and radar — the trio usually tells a fuller story than any single view, and it makes storm-watching oddly addictive.