
What is a thunderstorm and can it thunder without rain?
What causes thunder?
Thunderstorms can occur at any time of year but our most severe usually come in the summer months when we have longer days with more sunshine, which creates more energy in our atmosphere. Inside these thunderstorms, warm, moist air moves up and down quickly, the up-draughts force the air above the freezing level, so the water droplets in the air turn to ice or hail.So inside these thunderclouds there is a mixture of ice and water, which rub against each other transferring electric charges. This leads to a build up of electrical charge and when that gets large enough, it is released as a bolt of lightning. When lightning happens, it can heat the air to as hot as around 30,000°C. The air heats up so quickly that it suddenly expands creating a shock wave, a huge vibration in the air, that we hear as thunder.
Can it thunder without rain?
It is possible to hear thunder and not see rain. This is sometimes called a "dry thunderstorm."In a dry thunderstorm, the rain evaporates before it reaches the ground because the air underneath the cloud is very hot or dry. These thunderstorms are notorious for sparking wildfires because no rain is wetting the vegetation below them.
Can you get thunder without lightning?
No, thunder is the sound produced by lightning, so it cannot exist without it.When lightning strikes, it heats the air to around 30,000C which incredibly is hotter than the surface of the sun. Sudden heating of the air causes it to expand so rapidly it creates the loud bang of a thunderclap.

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