Is is possible to see hear thunder when...?

Question

I thought i was imagining it at first but now im fairly sure im seeing lightning and hearing thunder.

except its 75 degress out hear and its not supposed to rain

is it possible that that im seeing a storm thats really that far away, it sounds like its getting closer but its not in the forecast for tonight, and im in southern california...if someone checks so sort of live dopler automatic 10 points

Answer 1

its probably dry lighting

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_lightni...

Answer 2

Southern California is a biiiiiig place, Jojo...it wouldn't do much good for anybody to check the radar for you unless they knew exactly where you live.

The flash of lightning and the sound of thunder can carry for quite a distance, so it is quite possible that you're seeing a faraway thunderstorm.  Here are some ways to tell how far away the storm is:

(1) Count the seconds between the lightning strike and the sound of thunder, then divide by five.  That will tell you the approximate number of miles away that the storm is.  If there is a LOT of lightning and nearly constant thunder, it may not be possible to tell what thunder goes with what lightning, so this method won't work.  If that's the case...

(2) Listen to the thunder.  If the thunder is low and rumbling, it's very far away.  If the thunder starts out relatively high-pitched and then deepens into a roar, it's much closer.

(3)  And perhaps the simplest way to tell...check the weather.  There may not have been any rain predicted earlier, but remember that the weather can change rapidly.

I feel pretty certain, though, that if you think you saw distant lightning and heard thunder, that's probably exactly what you saw and heard.

I hope that helps.  Good luck!