the.com/sheet lightning
Lightning that forgot to bring a bolt, just the applause of light.
means Lightning whose flash is diffused by clouds (often far away) so the whole sky glows instead of showing a distinct jagged bolt.
from A straightforward descriptive compound — 'sheet' for the broad, flat spread of light across the sky, 'lightning' from Middle English 'lightnen,' to light up, itself rooted in Old English 'leoht.' No hidden myth here: the name is just honest reporting on what you see — illuminated cloud acting as a diffusing screen, often because the bolt itself is hidden behind clouds or below the horizon.
- actual cause
- a regular bolt hidden behind or inside clouds
- the glow
- cloud lit up like a lampshade from within
- nickname
- called heat lightning when seen on summer horizons
- thunder gap
- often too far away for thunder to reach you