ot thunder and lightiing

730virgil · Sep 2, 2022

on the weather tonight weather guy said if you hear thunder means you could get hit by lighting. take cover NOW!
I always thought lighting happened before thunder which is right?

Steve@Advance · Sep 2, 2022

It does! Seeing lightening and hearing the thunder later, you can get an idea how far away the lightning was. Sound travels about 4.7 miles per second.

See a flash and hear the boom instantly, it was really close!

The weatherman was referring to the danger of being struck by lightning. If you can hear it, you are in danger. Often lightening can precede a thunderstorm for several miles. Many fatal strikes occur a good way ahead of an incoming storm. Is it because lightening proceeds the storm, or because people think they are safe because the storm is not here yet? Probably both!

kcm.MN · Sep 2, 2022

Both. Light travels faster than sound, but if you can hear thunder, then you're within reach of a lightning strike.

gtractorfan · Sep 3, 2022

Oooops- I think that's backwards, sooner 4.7 seconds for sound to travel a mile.

Geo-TH,In · Sep 3, 2022

Good chance if you got struck with lightning you might not hear the sound of thunder.
Thunder travels at the speed of sound
Lightning travels at the speed of light..

RobCons · Sep 3, 2022

Our weather guys say when thunder roars go indoors.

centash · Sep 3, 2022

Sound travels about 1000 feet per second...
thus thunder heard five seconds after the flash is about a mile away.

Ben

Phil9N3667 · Sep 3, 2022

In August of '90, a thunderstorm was off a ways, and we were watching TV . All of a sudden, a flash of light hit the ground outside my son's BR window! KaBlam, then the TV went to a black screen, after going down to a pin point of light!

tomtinker · Sep 3, 2022

Thunder storms generally have more than one lightning bolt, he is warning you to look out for the rest of them.

john in la · Sep 3, 2022

Thunder and lightning happen at about the same time. Its just one travels through air at different speeds.

Considering you can only hear thunder about 10 miles if you can hear it the lightning is getting close enough you should start to pay attention to it. On the other hand you can see lightning under the right conditions over 100 miles.

crsutton81 · Sep 3, 2022

Sometimes it's too late by the time thunder is audible. The lightning can hit many moments prior. If you ever feel all of your hair start standing up on end while outside, take cover cause it's fixing to hit really close by. Been there, done that when a bolt hit a 100 yr old oak tree 40 yards away. Thank goodness it wasn't the all metal clad building we were all parked beside of close enough to touch, trying to get the fertlizer out of the planter before the rain hit.

ot thunder and lightiing

730virgil

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Steve@Advance

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kcm.MN

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gtractorfan

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Geo-TH,In

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RobCons

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centash

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Phil9N3667

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tomtinker

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john in la

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crsutton81

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