# Raining today: why no lightning?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raining-today-why-no-lightning/695315
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 11, 2014, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raining-today-why-no-lightning/695315 "2014-08-11T16:50:11Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2014, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raining-today-why-no-lightning/695315/1 "2014-08-11T16:50:11Z")

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It’s been raining pretty hard here in SE Michigan for the past hour or two. But there hasn’t been any lightning or thunder.

What makes a rain-bearing cloud have (or not have) lightning?

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### Author: ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2014, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raining-today-why-no-lightning/695315/2 "2014-08-11T17:06:55Z")

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[Not enough upward draft.](http://www.sciencemadesimple.co.uk/activities/lightning)

I was kind of hoping for a show today myself.