It depends on what distance from you the storm develops. If it develops a long way off, you'll see tall mushrooming tops. At night distance lightning would be visible. If it develops closer you may see darkening clouds, flashes of lightning in the storm and near the ground. As the storm moves closer a shelf cloud indicating the cool air outflow would be visible along with lightning and a curtain of precipitation. If it develops overhead, it might sneak up on you with wind, rain, hail, lightning and darkening skies.
This is his first sighting of the creature after its creation.
The speed of light is faster than the speed of sound, therefore you see lightning first during a thunderstorm, then you hear the thunder. *yikes!* :) ilovecatz1234
yes, the clouds are very dark.
The cumulus/development stage
A common first indicator of an approaching thunderstorm is a darkening sky or a shift in the color of the clouds to a dark gray or greenish color. Wind speeds may also increase, and you may notice distant rumbles of thunder or see lightning flashes in the distance.
Thunder and lightning occur roughly at the same time during a thunderstorm, but they are different things. Typically you see the lightning first and then you hear the thunder.
The first people to witness lightning in a thunderstorm.
A good idea is to listen for sounds of a thunderstorm first, look for heavy rain, and even feel for dry heat or a heavy atmosphere. Sometimes one can even smell a thunderstorm in the air.
The Cumulus Stage
a buildup of dark clouds
A buildup of dark clouds
A buildup of dark clouds.