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Because light travels more quickly than sound. Lightning may strike 1 mile from where you are and then 5 seconds later you will hear thunder. But if you were very close to where the lightning strikes, than you will hear the thunder at the same time as you see the lightning. Does that make sense?
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoWhen there is a lighting strike, we usually hear the sound minutes later but WHY IS THIS?
This happens because light travels extremely fast approximately at about 3.00 times 108 km/s-1. it is way too much faster for air particles to get away from its way but it strikes the air particles apart and makes a way for itself. When this happens there is a huge strike against air particles and there will be a loud sound that you hear after the strike. Because sound travels way slow than light, it takes some time for the sound waves to reach our ear drums that we actually hear.
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What are the similarities of thunder and lightning?
No, the two are quite different. The main difference is lightning is light, thunder is sound. Lightning is an electric charge that can come from a cloud for various reasons. Thunder is the sound made by lightning. Since sound travels slower than light, lightning comes first, thunder second.
If the storm is 8 kilometers away how many seconds will pass before you hear thunder?
A lightning strike is about 1,100 feet away if you hear the thunder one second after the lightning flash. The distance varies somewhat with temperature, air pressure, and other environmental conditions.
Can you tell how close a storm is by the thunder?
Roughly. Count the seconds between the time you see the lightning and the time you hear the thunder. Since sound travels slower than light, the thunder LAGS the lightning more the farther it travels. The speed of light is so high that it's OK to assume that it reaches you in no time. So the lag between the lightning and the thunder is just the time it takes for the sound to reach you. On paper, all you'd need to know is the speed of sound. Unfortunately, it varies quite a bit depending on atmospheric conditions ... particularly temperature ... and is especially variable around thunderstorms. PLUS -- in the unstable, nonhomogeneous atmosphere around thunderstorms, the sound most likely travels a curved path to you, which is a bit longer than if it traveled straight. But let's ignore all of that, and use the time-lag of the thunder to roughly calculate how far away from you the lightning strike was. With the air temperature in the mid-70's, the speed of sound is about 1125 ft (343 m) per second. If you accurately count the seconds between the appearance of the lightning and the beginning of the sound of thunder, you can translate that number roughly into 1 mile of distance for every 4.7 seconds, or 1 kilometer of distance for every 2.9 seconds.
Why is the theory false that counting the seconds between lightning and thunder will tell you how far away the storm is?
It is not false, but it may be inaccurate, because -- lightning can come from different parts of the storm, and hit miles away -- if multiple flashes occur, the sound cannot be assigned to one bolt -- the storm is high in the air, so part of the distance measured may be altitude All the counting seconds measures is the distance between you and the closest point on the lightning's path (every 5 seconds is about a mile, every 3 seconds is about a kilometer). But sometimes warm air will refract sound away from you.
If you hear thunder 36 seconds after you see a flash of lightning how far away is the thunderstorm?
About 12 kilometers (7.45 miles). After you see a bolt of lightning, for every 3 seconds until you hear the thunder, it means it is one kilometer away (3 seconds = 1 kilometer). This is because the sound wave created by the lightning is traveling at about 330 m/sec (in dry air, the speed of sound is about 343 m/sec or 1127 ft/sec).You can also divide by 5 to determine the approximate number of miles. In this case it would be calculated as about 7.2 miles away.
How do you figure the distance of storms from you?
If it is a thunderstorm, you check how long it takes to hear the thunder after you see a lightning strike. For every five seconds, the lightning strike is about one mile away. The lightning causes the thunder, and the sound travels at a speed of about one mile per five seconds.
How do you tell how far away a storm is?
To tell how far away a storm is note the seconds between the appearance of lightning and the sound of thunder. Every second between lightning and thunder represents one mile.
How do you calculate how far a storm is away?
After you here thunder every 6 seconds until the next lightning strike it is a mile.
How do you estimate how far lightning is away from you?
To estimate your distance from a thunderstorm count the number of seconds between a flash of lightning and the next clap of thunder. Divide your answer by 5. See the related link below.
What is the actual method for finding the distance you are from the storm using lightning and thunder?
For a long time it was thought by many people that the number of seconds after the lightning strikes is the miles the center of the storm is from you. Although this does show how light travels faster than sound, this system is wrong. The actual method for finding the distance the heart of the storm is from you is by counting after you see lightning; and stop counting after you hear the thunder. Now, for every five seconds after the lightning struck until you hear the thunder, it is one mile away. So if ten seconds go by between lightning and thunder, the center of the storm is two miles away.
What are the similarities of thunder and lightning?
No, the two are quite different. The main difference is lightning is light, thunder is sound. Lightning is an electric charge that can come from a cloud for various reasons. Thunder is the sound made by lightning. Since sound travels slower than light, lightning comes first, thunder second.
If it takes 10 seconds for it to thunder after lightning strikes how far is the storm?
Approximately 2.5 miles. Every 4 second delay is the equivalent of one mile.
Does thunder flash 5 mins after lightning?
No. The rule of thumb is there is a delay of 5 secondsbetween lightning and thunder for every mile of distance from the bolt.
Does it thunder and lighting every time it rains?
No. It is very common for rain to occur without thunder or lightning.
How many miles away is the lightning when you count 40 sec from when you saw the lightning until when you hard the thunder?
What I do know is it takes 5 seconds for the sound waves to travel 1 mile.So, if it's 5 seconds per mile, take 40 seconds and divide by 5 and the answer is 8 miles. That means if you count 40 seconds and hear the thunder, the flash was 8 miles away.One more thing, every second, the sound travels .2 miles.
What is the moral of the story the story of lightning and thunder?
The moral of the story of lightning and thunder is that every action has a consequence. Just as lightning causes thunder, our actions can have ripple effects on those around us. It teaches us to be mindful of our behavior and its potential impact on others.
How can you estimate how far away the lightning strike will be?
By listening for the thunder. When you see a prominent lightning strike, start counting "one thousand one, one thousand two", etc. Each of those is about one second. There are five seconds in every mile (sound travels 1/5th of a mile per second). If you count to fifteen, the lightning strike is three miles away. Lightning and thunder occur at the same instant when the lightning strike is very close to you, and the thunder will sound more like a cymbal crash.
