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Anonymous
Sup /an/, I've got a weather question.

Last night a group of friends and I had a farewell party on Assateague for my boyfriend's brother who's going into the Marines. Around 9-10 PM the sky clouded over and the temperatures dropped significantly. While it didn't straight up thunderstorm, the winds picked up and there was a lot of repetitive, rapid lightning, but no thunder or rain. I've never experienced such weather before that I remember, and I've been told time and again "heat lightning" doesn't exist (that, and it was pretty chilly). Why was there no thunder? Did I sleep through the class that taught that? I'm a total idiot when it comes to this sort of thing so excuse my ignorance.

TLDR; why isn't lightning followed by thunder sometimes.
>> Anonymous
"Can you have thunder without lightning?
Can’t be done, if only by definition. But you might not always be able to see the parent lightning discharge. Especially during the daytime, lightning discharges deep within a cloud are difficult to see. And more than 80% of all lightning discharges remain inside clouds."

tl;dr thunder is hidden, or too far away to see
>> Anonymous
>>272885
...I'm pretty sure the question was about lightning without thunder, not thunder without lightning.

Also, thunder is never visible.
>> Anonymous
>>272885
Someone needs to learn to read.

>>272879
I would assume if its far enough away, you'd not hear it.
>> Anonymous
thunder is always followed by lightning, no exceptions

it is most likely that the energy in the soundwave from the thunder is lost or taken away somewhere in the medium while it was traveling towards you, so you wouldn't be able to hear it
>> Anonymous
http://weathereye.kgan.com/cadet/lightning/thunder.html
>> Anonymous
>>272897
Don't you mean lightning is always followed by thunder? Since the light comes first, then the sound.
>> Demyx's Landmaster !!vjyCRKGc15d
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THUNDERBOLTS AND LIGHTNING, VERY VERY FRIGHTENING!

>There is evidence that suggests some cases of heat lightning are, in fact, slow, diffuse discharges of electricity.

>Silent lightning also occurs where airborne matter muffles the thunder, such as heavy snow in winter storms (thundersnow) and dust and sand storms. In some instances heavy falling snow has silenced thunder from cloud to ground lightning strokes as close as one to two miles (1.6 to 3.2 km) from the observer and severe dust storms are even more effective in many cases.

Or you were too far away to hear the thunder, it rarely lasts for more than 10 miles.

You want weird lightning, how about the red sprites and blue jets?
>> Anonymous
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>>272948
>> Anonymous
>>272897

OP is not alone, I have encountered few rainstorms where NO thunder after the one of the lightnings nearby. I waited for it but it never happened.
>> Anonymous
Some of you guys sound more confused than OP does.
BTW:
>>272948
Holy shit. Can you see those from the ground or are they too high up?
>> Anonymous
>>272948
OP here, thanks, I didn't know that thunder didn't span very far. And that's some wicked-ass lightning, I'd shit myself if I ever saw those.
>> Demyx's Landmaster !!vjyCRKGc15d
>>273048
No problem. You definitely would, considering that the sprites are gigantic in size (like 40 miles tall or so).

>>273041
If the sky is clear around the thunderstorm and you're far enough away, it's possible. The best vantage point is up high, like in a plane above the storm or on a mesa/mountain far away. They only last a few milliseconds, but they're very intense.

Some videos of red sprites
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKL90WwmVjs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmOCe5se9hk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4MEFyv_kFg&feature=related

Some videos of blue jets and giant jets
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaMTbAQQ0k4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlW1hkb2VHU