why is there thunder but no rain

There can be thunder without rain during what is called a dry thunderstorm. In a dry thunderstorm, the thunder and lightning are present because rain is produced in the cloud, but the rain droplets evaporate before reaching the ground due to dry or hot air below the cloud. This phenomenon occurs when the clouds are high and the humidity between the cloud and ground is very low, causing precipitation to evaporate mid-air. Thunder originates from lightning, so the sound of thunder can be heard even if no rain falls to the surface. Dry thunderstorms are particularly dangerous because the lightning strikes can ignite wildfires in dry vegetation since there is no rain to dampen the ground. These storms often happen in hot, dry conditions and are characterized by rain that appears to fall but does not reach the ground (often seen as virga). The lightning can come from high, spreading anvil-shaped parts of the storm cloud that are far from the main rain area. In summary, thunder without rain happens because rain evaporates before it reaches the ground during a dry thunderstorm, but lightning and thunder still occur as usual in the cloud and are audible on the ground.