Abstract: Based on the thunderstorm observation data from 1956 to 2013 of meteorological stations in Hunan, the lightning monitoring data from 2008 to 2017, and lightning disaster data from 2002 to 2017, the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of lightening activities and lightning disaster in Hunan were analyzed. The results showed that the annual average number of thunderstorm days in Hunan was 49.9; it decreased at a rate of 3.493 days /10 years. The CG lightning return stroke observed in the whole province was on average about 340, 000 times per year, with July and August being the peak months of the lightning return stroke. Hourly distribution of lightning return stroke appeared as a single-peak which occurred mainly from 15:00 to 17:00. Yueyang, Changsha, Huaihua, and Shaoyang were the lightning disaster-prone areas.Most lightning casualties have occurred in rural. Therefore, lightning protection safety work of the rural needs to be strengthened.