heat lightning

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noun

lightning too distant for thunder to be heard, observed as diffuse flashes near the horizon on summer evenings.

Origin of heat lightning

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35

Words nearby heat lightning

heat exhaustion, heat gun, heat index, heat island, heat lamp, heat lightning, heat of combustion, heat of condensation, heat of formation, heat of fusion, heat of reaction

Example sentences from the Web for heat lightning

British Dictionary definitions for heat lightning

heat lightning

noun

flashes of light seen near the horizon, esp on hot evenings: reflections of more distant lightning

Scientific definitions for heat lightning

heat lightning

Intermittent flashes of reddish or orange light near the horizon, usually seen on a hot summer evening and unaccompanied by thunder. Heat lightning is thought to be the reflection of distant lightning on clouds. Its color is believed to be due to the refraction of light in the atmosphere. See also sheet lightning. See more at lightning.