WarPulse Lightning API

Near real-time
lightning.
One API call.

Proprietary near real-time lightning data, processed and served as JSON. Cover the Americas, Atlantic, and Pacific, including Hawaii and Alaska, for as little as $21/month billed annually (save 30%).

Live: North America
0 strikes / 5 min
Layers
Palette

Example request

curl https://api.lightningapi.dev/v1/flashes \
  -H "X-API-Key: lapi_your_key_here" \
  -G -d since_minutes=15 \
     -d min_lat=24 -d max_lat=50 \
     -d min_lon=-125 -d max_lon=-66

200 OK

{
  "count": 842,
  "since_utc": "2025-06-24 18:30:00.000000",
  "flashes": [
    { "flash_id": 1234567, "lat": 35.812, "lon": -97.441, "flash_timestamp_utc": "2025-06-24 18:44:53.120000" },
    ...
  ]
}

What you get

NEW · BETA

Radar Imagery Tiles

Live radar as standard map tiles, on every plan, with its own monthly allowance separate from your API calls. Continental US, four palettes, drops straight into the map you already have.

Storm Proximity Alerts

Define a zone and get a signed webhook the instant lightning strikes inside it, delivered in near real-time, not bounded by how often you'd poll, and free of your monthly quota.

Global Coverage

Covers North, Central, and South America (including Canada and Mexico), the Atlantic, and the Pacific, including Hawaii and Alaska, with near-real-time lightning data updated every 20 seconds.

Simple REST API

One endpoint, one header. Pass your API key, get JSON lightning flashes back. No SDKs, no GraphQL, no ceremony.

Bounding box filter

Narrow results to any lat/lon bounding box. Ideal for regional apps that don't need global data.

Time window control

Request the last 15 minutes, or up to 24 hours (unlimited on Enterprise) depending on your plan. Tune freshness vs. volume for your use case.

Generous per-key quotas

Every plan gets its own dedicated allowance, governed by a fair usage policy, not a shared pool, not per-IP.

Self-serve dashboard

Generate, view, and revoke API keys instantly. Monitor today's usage against your daily limit without waiting on support.

NEW

Radar Storm Cell Tracking

Position, intensity and movement for every active storm cell, updated as they develop.

Start building today.

Start free with pay-as-you-go: 5,000 free calls a month, then $0.003 per call. Flat-rate plans from $56/month billed annually (save 30%). Cancel any time. Enterprise volume pricing available on request.

Coverage areas

Lightning data provided as-is; not for safety-critical use. Commercial use is permitted on every current plan. Read the EULA →