Heat lightning - it's a term we've all heard before whether it be from our childhood on those warm, humid summer nights, or something you may still refer to today. But 'heat lightning' isn't an actual thing. It's simply a thunderstorm in the distance, too far to hear the thunder but you can still see the lightning.
You see, light travels faster than sound. The sound of thunder can travel roughly 10 miles away from a thunderstorm, depending on certain atmospheric conditions before it dissipates. Lightning, however, can be seen from significant distances away, especially with a storm cloud towering well into the night sky.
A couple weeks ago the lightning from a thunderstorm north of Madison was visible in northern Illinois - some 60 miles away. And several years ago, storms that were on the other side of Lake Michigan in western Michigan were visible here in northern Illinois.
So, the next time you see lightning in the distance on a warm summer night, but you can't hear any thunder, just know it's a thunderstorm that is quite a bit of a distance away. And be sure to the check the forecast to see if that storm is heading in your direction.
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