Why thunder sound the way it is?

Answer 1

AnswerDepends on where it is heard. In the barren desert with no mountain ranges, it will simply go "boom" and is gone. When surrounded by mountain ranges, the sound echoes off those hard surfaces and heads toward another. It then sounds much fiercer ... so it all depends where it is heard.

Also, sound waves travel with slightly different velocities in air depending on their frequency. Higher frequencies travel faster than lower frequencies. Lightning makes sound over a wide range of frequencies, so the higher pitches get to you first. This is why thunder will crack first (high frequency) and then rumble later (low frequencies). It is also why the time-length of the thunder can be used to determine how far away the lightning was. The farther away the lightning, the more spread out the higher frequencies are from the lower frequencies.

Answer 2

Thunder is the sound that is made by lightning. The sudden increase in pressure and temperature from lightning produces rapid expansion of the air surrounding and within a bolt of lightning. In turn, this expansion of air creates a sonic shock wave which produces the sound of thunder.

Answer 3

It is loud because it causes the air to expand rapidly which creates a sonic boom, which is very loud.