As temperatures climb and thunderstorms pop up across the area, many of you are asking us if we see heat lightning or telling us you have seen heat lightning. Here's the problem: there's no such thing. Many of you maybe had been told growing up that "heat lightning" happens when the air gets really hot. The old wives tale says hot air can create lightning even without a thunderstorm. "Heat lightning" has been used to describe the phenomenon when you see a flash of lightning in a cloud but don't hear the corresponding thunder clap. 

From what we know about lightning, that's not possible. Lightning is created by opposing electrical charges in a storm cloud. When you see lightning but don't hear thunder it's because you are too far away from the storm.  According to the National Weather Service, thunder can only be heard about 10 miles away from where the lightning bolt strikes, but the flash of light can be seen up to 100 miles away depending on air conditions. The light from that strike can reflect off higher-level clouds which allows you to see the bright flash much farther away. This can be due to the curvature of the Earth or a physical object (trees, hills, buildings, etc.) preventing you from seeing the bolt of lightning but allowing you to see the reflection of light off the clouds!

When you see "heat lightning," it's just normal lightning from a storm far away.