Why does thundering occur with out lightning?

Answer 1

While lightning produces very high temperatures, the amount of air it heats is fairly small. In most cases a bolt of lightning is a few miles away, too far away to feel the heat. People have felt the heat from lightning, but only when it struck dangerously close.

Answer 2

Lightning always produces thunder. However, the sound diminishes with distance. Generally speaking, thunder cannot be heard more than 10 miles away. A flash of lightning, by contrast, may be visible as long as it is not below the horizon.

Answer 3

Thunder is caused by the rapid expansion and contraction of air around a lightning bolt. When lightning strikes far away, you may not see the light but still hear the thunder because sound travels slower than light. Thunder can also occur with no visible lightning if the strike happens within a cloud or where the lightning is obstructed from view.

Answer 4

Because "heat lightning" is just lightning from a storm that is too far away (over 30 miles) to hear.

Answer 5

Heat lightning is lightning that is occurring in another storm which can be many, many miles away. The sound of thunder dissipates before you see the heat lightning.

Answer 6

Thunder does not occur without lightning. One may hear thunder without having seen the lightning, but that does not mean there was no lightning.

Answer 7

because the speed of light is faster than the speed of sound! :)