Thunder Lightning 'storm' with only 1 Flash, Light and Thunder?

Question

Is this possible? To me it seems dodgy that it can only happen once and never happen again. It was INCREDIBLY POWERFUL. I nearly **** myself. The thing is...I saw the light BEFORE the sound (Imagine if a camera had a lense the size of three windows).

I'm sure you'd notice this and be incredibly sure of it. I thought someone just took a picture of me with a massive camera and then after I've ran out of the room I hear the thunder from it.

This doesn't seem normal at all. Storms are called storms because many of the repitions are needed. Only 1 though... this is driving me crazy. Am I over reacting?

Someone, PLEASE help me make sense of this.

Answer 1

When this happens, weather forecasters call them "thundery showers", and they can be very powerful. Thunderstorms are prolonged periods of lightning and thunder.  Where I live the weather is so muggy that I really want a good thunderstorm to clear the air. Hope I get one soon.

Answer 2

It is possible. It means that the static charge in the storm clouds discharged itself in 1 strike.

Answer 3

I see this all the time. A storm will develop drop one bolt and then dissipate. This is not uncommon but as far as many repetitions are concerned that's not what classifies a storm a storm.....  A rule of thumb we use on the floor is that its considered a storm when the clouds pass the -20 degree isotherm, or the point in the atmosphere where it is - 20C. The only thing is that it only produced one strike but the fact that it dropped anything makes it a thunderstorm too.

I should put it differently, once it passes the -20 is when its capable of producing lightning why it is the thresh hold.

Answer 4

Well, it's obviously possible - you witnessed it.  

Sometimes, a thundercloud will build up electric potential slowly and only have enough juice for 1 bolt of lightning, until it has time to 'recharge' and strike again.  It may be that the time interval was so long, that the cloud didn't produce lightning again until it was well out of the area and wasn't noticeable.    

Answer 5

It's not terribly uncommon.  The frequency of thunder and lightning does not determine what makes a storm.

Also, I'm confused as to why you're bringing up seeing the lightning then hearing the thunder.  That's the natural order.  Lightning and thunder occur simultaneously, yes, but, light travels faster than sound.  So, you see the lightning, then hear the thunder.  For every five seconds between the lightning and the the thunder the storm is one mile away.

Odds are it was a fast moving storm that wasn't producing a large amount of lightning and moved out of your area quickly.