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WA registers 1.5 million lightning pulses in two days

A massive amount of lightning has occurred over Western Australia during the last 48 hours as a low pressure system caused widespread thunderstorms across the state.

Storms spread across WA on Tuesday and Wednesday as the low pressure system and an associated low pressure trough passed over the state while interacting with a stream of tropical moisture. This setup was ideal for thunderstorm development, with ample atmospheric instability and plenty of moisture to fuel storms throughout both day and night.

Image: Composite satellite and lightning observations showing thunderstorms over WA on Wednesday, November 5, 2025. Source: Weatherzone

Weatherzone’s lightning network detected around 1,552,200 lightning pulses over WA during the 48 hours ending at 8am AWST on Thursday. Some of these storms were severe, prompting warnings for large hail, damaging winds and heavy rain.

A particularly intense area of thunderstorm activity developed over the South Interior and Goldfields on Wednesday afternoon and night. These storms caused around 655,200 lightning pulses within 600 km of Laverton between Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning.

Image: The red symbols show where lightning pulses were detected within 600 km of Laverton between 2pm AWST on Wednesday and 3am AWST on Thursday.

Showers and thunderstorms will spread further east over the next few days as the trough continues to track across the country. This system will cause rain or storms over part of every state and territory between Thursday and Sunday.

Severe thunderstorms are possible in several states over the next few days, so be sure to check the latest forecasts and warnings in your area.