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Lightning on 24 October: more than 55,000 strikes in about three hours
Saturday 24 October 2026 was the stormiest day since PantauSivik started keeping hourly lightning records. This post looks at that afternoon, how it compares with the other days from 17 to 26 October, and what it does and does not tell you. Our first look at four stormy days explains how we count.
In short: PantauSivik recorded 55,013 lightning strikes on Saturday 24 October, about 52% of the 106,515 from 17 to 26 October. Almost all came between 12pm and 3pm, including 27,461 in the hour from 1pm. Only 1,408 strikes, about 2.6%, reached the ground.
Ten days at a glance
- Three days did most of it. Saturday 24 October had 55,013, Sunday 25 had 20,004 and Tuesday 20 had 19,543. Together that is 89% of the ten day total.
- Tuesday 20 grew a lot. Our first look counted 1,382 strikes by about 1pm. The day finished at 19,543, with 13,917 of them between 3pm and 4pm.
- Some days were almost quiet. Thursday 22 had 37 strikes and Monday 26 had 147.
The afternoon of 24 October
| Hour | Strikes |
|---|---|
| Before 12pm | 791 |
| 12pm to 1pm | 15,035 |
| 1pm to 2pm | 27,461 |
| 2pm to 3pm | 10,464 |
| 3pm to 4pm | 1,121 |
| 4pm and later | 141 |
Those three hours from 12pm to 3pm held 52,960 strikes, 96% of the day. The ground strikes were concentrated too: 563 in the hour from 12pm and 500 in the hour from 1pm, about three quarters of the day's 1,408.
Where it struck
Of the 55,013 strikes, 35,803 (65%) were within 8 km of one of our sectors, and 19,210 (35%) were farther out, so they belong to no sector. The sectors with the most were:
| Sector | Strikes |
|---|---|
| Western Water Catchment | 10,951 |
| Lim Chu Kang | 5,839 |
| Punggol | 2,237 |
| Bedok | 1,470 |
| Jalan Bahar | 1,241 |
The storm was strongest over the west and north west, and a large share was beyond the sector areas. These counts do not say where exactly a strike landed.
Rain warnings that day
Our alert records show a heavy rain warning for Singapore on the evening of 24 October, active from 9:45pm to 11:10pm. We did not log one during the afternoon storm. A lightning count and a rain warning measure different things, so one does not predict the other.
What it means for you
- A big count does not mean danger at your spot. A strike counted in a sector can be several kilometres from you.
- Choose up to 4 sectors under My sectors, so that alerts name the places you care about. An alert reads, for example, that lightning has been detected near Western Water Catchment within the last 5 minutes. See the Public Alerts guide.
- The Weather page shows strikes near you right now.
- If you can hear thunder, move indoors, and follow official advice.
What this does not tell us
It is ten days, so it does not show what is normal for Singapore or for this time of year. The counts are our own, by the hour, and may not match other lightning records. We did not look at what caused the storm.
Common questions
How many lightning strikes were there on 24 October 2026?
PantauSivik recorded 55,013 strikes on Saturday 24 October, about 52% of the 106,515 recorded from 17 to 26 October. These are our own counts, not an official total.
When did the storm happen?
Almost all of it came between 12pm and 3pm. The hour from 1pm had 27,461 strikes, the hour from 12pm had 15,035 and the hour from 2pm had 10,464.
How many strikes reached the ground?
1,408 of the day's strikes were cloud to ground, about 2.6%. The rest were cloud to cloud and stayed in the sky. About three quarters of the ground strikes came between 12pm and 2pm.
Why are some strikes in no sector?
We match a strike to a sector only when it is within 8 km of that sector. Strikes farther away are still counted for the day but belong to no sector. That was about 35% of the strikes on 24 October.
Sources: PantauSivik's own lightning records and alert records, 17 to 26 October 2026, in Singapore time. Strike counts are by the hour. Sector areas use the 47 NEA sectors, with a strike matched to a sector when it is within 8 km.
Information in PantauSivik comes from public sources and is there to help you plan. In an emergency, follow official channels. PantauSivik is independent and not affiliated with any government agency.
See also: Four stormy days: our first lightning records, Rain in Singapore for visitors, Public Alerts guide, Weather, PSI and UV guide, Set up sector alerts.
