How do you get thunder and lightning without rain?

Question

Last night i saw lots of lightning and some thunder above my house, but there was no rain at all, why does this happen?

Answer 1

Thunder and lightning occur when the moist particles in clouds collide from warm updrafts and cold air descending, which causes an ion exchange and a potential difference:
Ie. the clouds turn into a big battery and the lightning is a short circuit.

Because lightning can occur between clouds as well, and doesn't necessarily need to strike the ground, you can have thunder and lightning flashes at night from stormclouds very far away that you can still hear and see.

But that aside, if the clouds don't have the right moisture/temperature conditions, it doesn't have to rain, but it can still create thunder and lightning.

Answer 2

Thunder Without Rain

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
How do you get thunder and lightning without rain?
Last night i saw lots of lightning and some thunder above my house, but there was no rain at all, why does this happen?

Answer 4

You don't need rain to have thunder and lightning...

"Lightning is a powerful natural electrostatic discharge produced during a thunderstorm. This abrupt electric discharge is accompanied by the emission of visible light and other forms of electromagnetic radiation. The electric current passing through the discharge channels rapidly heats and expands the air into plasma producing acoustic shock waves (thunder) in the atmosphere."

Answer 5

The thunderstorm could be miles away. The ice or water particles in the cloud may not be large enough to fall, therefore creating electricity. Lightning is hotter than the surface of the sun, so it superheats the air and causes a sonic boom, the thunder. It is very possible, it is actually called "dry lightning" and can be very rare. Hope that I was able to help!

Answer 6

Lightning does not come from rain; it comes from static electricity charges in the Earth and atmosphere. Lightning, the 'flash', is the electric discarge itself; thunder, the 'bang', is the sound of air rushing back after being superheated by thelightning bolt.

Answer 7

dry tunderstorm, or its was a close call and a nearby neighbourhood got socked and rocked by the rainstorms in florida rain and thunderstorms it can rain on one side of the street (heavy downpours I mean blinding kind) and sunny on the other side on the other hand

Answer 8

Sometimes during the summer due to the heat wave you could get thunder and lighting alone (without rain) on rare occasions.

Answer 9

Than rain could of overslipped you and passed over to a nearby area that's all I can think of, unless it was a ry thunderstorm, hard to tell if it was at night, but more of the first thing I said

Answer 10

Thunder and lighting happend when cold and wamr air masses collide. The rain is secondary, and not dependent on the thunder and lighting. (It can rain with or without the "show")