Heat lightning, you see, is not a unique form of lightning, but normal thunderstorm lightning that flashes too far away from the observer for its thunder to be heard. But, this is mostly a matter of semantics. ![]() On the other hand, you will find many credible sources telling you that heat lightning does not exist. But recently, I have had several questions on this weather phenomenon and decided it was time to revisit heat lightning.įolk weather mythology suggests heat lightning is caused by hot air expanding until it sparks on sultry summer nights an incorrect hypothesis. I had not thought about such incidents for some time. Today, living on Vancouver Island, thundershowers are few and far between, not seen even in the distant skies. This scene played out many times in my youth, growing up in the northeastern Illinois suburb of Palatine. We only had a teasing episode of heat lightning, visible flashes of distant bolts lacking the slightest hint of thunder. But although the flashing sky continued for several hours, no rain fell on us this night, no cooling relief flowed from a travelling thundershower. "Might get a thunderstorm tonight," I forecast. As we sat in the yard, chatting occasionally about the baseball exploits of the Chicago Cubs, I began to notice the northern sky glow with random flashes of light. The house was too hot and stuffy to stay inside, so we sought the little relief the outdoors could offer. A hot summer's day had finally ended, but then it ushered in a hot summer's evening.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |