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Thunder is the sound caused by a nearby flash of lightning and can be heard for a distance of only about 10 miles from the lightning strike. The sound of thunder should serve as a warning to anyone outside that they are within striking distance of the storm and need to get to a safe place immediately! Thunder is created when lightning passes ...
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Thunder; Acknowledgements And References; Return to...
- Acknowledgements and References
NWS thanks the following lightning researchers for their...
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Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. Depending upon the distance from and nature of the lightning, it can range from a long, low rumble to a sudden, loud crack. The sudden increase in temperature and hence pressure caused by the lightning produces rapid expansion of the air in the path of a lightning bolt. In turn, this expansion of air creates a sonic shock wave, often referred to as a ...
Apr 30, 2024 · That is because light travels much faster than sound waves. We can estimate the distance of the lightning by counting how many seconds it takes until we hear the thunder. It takes approximately 5 seconds for the sound to travel 1 mile. If the thunder follows the lightning almost instantly, you know the lightning is too close for comfort!
Lightning causes thunder! Energy from a lightning channel heats the air briefly to around 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit, much hotter than the surface of the sun. This causes the air to explode outward. The huge pressure in the initial outward shock wave decreases rapidly with increasing distance and within ten yards or so has become small enough to ...
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May 4, 2023 · To calculate the distance from lightning, watch the sky for lightning and then count the number of seconds after a lightning strike until you hear thunder. Take your response and divide it by 5 to determine the distance of the lightning strike in miles. For example, if you counted to 15 seconds before you heard thunder, divide 15 by 5 to get 3 ...
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Mar 14, 2021 · So, the 30/30 rule is a better use of the flash-to-bang method. The first part of the 30/30 rule is that hearing thunder within 30 seconds of seeing lightning means the lightning is within 6 miles of your location. NOAA and the National Weather Service advise people seek shelter when lightning is this close. The second part of the 30/30 rule is ...
Oct 19, 2023 · Thunder is simply the noise lightning makes. The loud boom is caused by the heat of the lightning. When the air gets very, very hot, the heat makes the air explode. Since light travels much, much, faster than sound, you’ll see lightning before you hear thunder. To figure out how far away a storm is, start counting seconds as soon as you see ...
