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Four stormy days: what our lightning records show for 17 to 20 October
PantauSivik has started keeping a record of the lightning it sees, hour by hour. We now have four days of it, from Saturday 17 to Tuesday 20 October, and they include some very stormy afternoons. This is a first look. Four days is a short window, and Tuesday is only about half done as we write, so treat the numbers as a snapshot and not as a pattern.
Update, 27 October: Tuesday 20 October finished at 19,543 strikes, not the 1,382 counted by about 1pm, with 13,917 of them between 3pm and 4pm. Saturday 24 October was far bigger, with 55,013 strikes. See our look at the 24 October storm.
In short: Sunday 18 October was the busiest day, with 3,984 strikes, and 1,881 of them came between 4pm and 5pm. Saturday had 1,630, Monday 1,353, and Tuesday 1,382 by about 1pm. Most strikes were cloud to cloud, but Monday had the most cloud to ground strikes, 181.
What we counted
The numbers are lightning strikes across Singapore, added up for each hour and split into two kinds: cloud to cloud, which stay in the sky, and cloud to ground. We also match a strike to a sector when it is within 8 km of one, using the same sectors you can pick under My sectors. A strike farther away than that counts for Singapore but belongs to no sector. All times are Singapore time.
Four days at a glance
- Saturday 17 October: 1,630 strikes, almost all between 5pm and 7pm (1,582). Only 10 were cloud to ground.
- Sunday 18 October: 3,984 strikes. It began around 2pm, peaked from 4pm to 5pm, and was quiet by 6pm.
- Monday 19 October: 1,353 strikes, spread across the day from late morning to about 5pm. The hour from noon had 368, the most of the day.
- Tuesday 20 October: 1,382 strikes by about 1pm, with an early burst of 821 between 5am and 6am and another of 293 around noon.
Bigger storm, fewer strikes to the ground
Cloud to ground strikes matter most to people outdoors. Across the four days, 432 of the 8,349 strikes were cloud to ground, about 5%. A big total does not mean more of them: Sunday had the largest storm by count, yet Monday had more cloud to ground strikes (181 against 142) and the highest share, 13%. Monday’s noon hour alone had 92.
Where the strikes were counted
Saturday’s storm was over the island itself: 97% of its strikes were inside a sector area, led by Southern Islands (515), Marine Parade (231) and City (151). Sunday was the opposite. Only 34 of the 3,984 strikes were within 8 km of any sector, so almost all of that storm was outside every sector’s area. It was most likely over water or beyond the island, but these totals do not say where exactly. On Monday, 21% were inside a sector area, led by Tuas (131), and on Tuesday 15%, led by Pulau Ubin (131).
What this means for alerts
A storm can be huge and still far from you, as Sunday showed. That is why lightning alerts now work by sector: you choose up to 4 of the 47 NEA sectors, and the alert names the sector first. We explain how it works in what is new in 1.30.0 and the Public Alerts guide. To see strikes near you right now, open the Weather page, which is covered in the Weather, PSI and UV guide.
What this does not tell us
- Four days is too short to say what is normal for Singapore, or to compare months or seasons.
- Tuesday is partial, so its numbers will grow.
- A busy hour does not mean danger at your spot. A strike counted in a sector may be several kilometres from where you are.
- These are our own counts and may not match other lightning records. For safety, follow official advice.
We plan to look again when we have a few weeks of records, and to see whether this pattern holds.
Common questions
How many lightning strikes did Singapore have from 17 to 20 October?
In our records, 8,349 strikes: 1,630 on Saturday, 3,984 on Sunday, 1,353 on Monday and 1,382 on Tuesday up to about 1pm. These are PantauSivik counts for four days, not an official total.
What is the difference between cloud to cloud and cloud to ground lightning?
Cloud to cloud strikes stay in the sky. Cloud to ground strikes reach the ground, and they are the ones that can hurt people and damage things outdoors. If you can hear thunder, move indoors.
Why do some strikes belong to no sector?
We match a strike to a sector only when it is within 8 km of that sector. A strike farther out is still counted for Singapore but has no sector.
Sources: PantauSivik’s own lightning records for 17 to 20 October 2026, in Singapore time. Tuesday covers up to about 1pm.
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: Rain in Singapore for visitors, How to set up alerts for home and work, Are buses really crowded?, What is new in 1.30.0, Weather, PSI and UV guide, Public Alerts guide, Does rain clear haze?, 24 October lightning storm.
