Community Chat

[151949]

Something I've not experienced before. All this past week, every evening, sometime after it gets dark, we have had an hour or so of lightening but no rain. Last night was extreme IMO - the lightening was one strike right on top of another  - over & over - and lasted about 1 1/2 hours. It's pretty amazing to see. I live about 100 miles from Tampa which is supposed to be the lightening capital of the world. It always seems to come from the SE - we see the lightening in the distance and it just gets closer & closer than moves on over us and goes north. We have lived here 8 years(though not in the summers) and I spent many summers on the east coast of Fl. as a child but I've never experienced this before.My DH says it's heat lightening. I've never heard of that before. 

[Spurt]

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@151949 wrote:

Something I've not experienced before. All this past week, every evening, sometime after it gets dark, we have had an hour or so of lightening but no rain. Last night was extreme IMO - the lightening was one strike right on top of another  - over & over - and lasted about 1 1/2 hours. It's pretty amazing to see. I live about 100 miles from Tampa which is supposed to be the lightening capital of the world. It always seems to come from the SE - we see the lightening in the distance and it just gets closer & closer than moves on over us and goes north. We have lived here 8 years(though not in the summers) and I spent many summers on the east coast of Fl. as a child but I've never experienced this before.My DH says it's heat lightening. I've never heard of that before. 

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@151949

Sometimes in the summer we get that heat lightening here in Texas too......

Heat Lightning-a flash or flashes of light seen near the horizon, especially on warm evenings, believed to be the reflection of distant lightning on high clouds.

The local weather forecasters were hyping up all the rain we were supposed to get because of a "tropical wave" here in the gulf.............so far heard some rumbling thunder and just a few sprinkles that didnt even make one puddle..............

[151949]

I've seen that lightening on the horizon before , but this moves toward us , is right overhead a while, then moves on. We see it come from the south then as it subsides we can see it to the north. It feels like it's a moving band of intense lightening.

[fthunt]

I've heard of heat lightening but didn't really understand it.  From your post - I'm always interested in weather.............perhaps no moisture in the clouds cuz you're so hot there; but there could be a layer of hot and colder air mixing in your sky.  Thus the clash of those temperatures = produces the light and then the bang.  Will Google it.  Interesting.

[Deb0509]

We live about 60 miles north of Tampa and we had the same thing happen last night. No rain, but my cat was still just as scared

[Hooty]

This is quite common in the South, it means that it is storming somewhere else in the distance, and all you are getting is the thunder and lightning.

[Sueliz]

Tampa is the lightning capital of the United States. In 2016 Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela was named lightning capital of the world.  I lived in Palm Harbor, Fl for 20 years and remember well all the crazy storms we had and how quickly they came up.  I have a healthy respect for Mother Nature from living there.

[Lipstickdiva]

We get heat lighting in the summer here in Ohio.  It lights up the sky rather than being streaks of lightening that are typical with a storm. 

[Allegheny]

I found two references.

Dry thunderstorm refers to thunder and lightning that occur without bringing rain to the ground. In fact, the thunder-bearing clouds do produce rain but the rain droplets have evaporated in the air before reaching the ground. (from Hong Kong government web site)

Thunder can seem like it goes on and on because each point along the channel produces a shock wave and sound wave. Dry lightning is lightning that occurs without rain nearby. The NOAA Storm Prediction Center routinely forecasts dry lightning because this kind is more likely to cause forest fires. (from NOAA website).

[151949]

Our local news channel keeps saying this is + ion lightening and is more dangerous than regular neg ion lightening, and they advise people not to stand outside during these events. I would think that would be pretty obvious but we know how some people are.