Why is lightning so loud

Thunder will always be heard after the lightning strike is seen owing to the fact that light travels significantly faster than sound. Your distance from a thunderstorm can be estimated by measuring the time between seeing the lightning flash and the hearing the start of thunder. The length of this interval in seconds can be divided by three to give an approximate distance in kilometres.

Sometimes lightning may be seen but there is no thunder heard. This is either because thunder is rarely heard more than 20 km away or because the atmospheric conditions lead to sound bending upwards and away from the surface.

The temperature of the air in the lightning channel may reach as high as 50, degrees Fahrenheit, 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun. Immediately after the flash, the air cools and contracts quickly. This rapid expansion and contraction creates the sound wave that we hear as thunder. Although a lightning discharge usually strikes just one spot on the ground, it travels many miles through the air.

When you listen to thunder, you'll first hear the thunder created by that portion of the lightning channel that is nearest you. The louder the sound that you hear, the closer you are to the lightning. Light travels through air much faster than sound. If you see the lightning and hear the thunder immediately, then the lightning is very close to you. Read more: Some truths about lightning: when thunder roars, go indoors.

So, remember this important lesson: when thunder roars, go indoors. Hello, curious kids! Ask an adult to send your question to africa-curiouskids theconversation.

Please tell us your name, age, and which city you live in. Portsmouth Climate Festival — Portsmouth, Portsmouth. Edition: Available editions United Kingdom. That shock wave is the thunder that you hear.

Why is thunder so loud? The louder the sound that you hear, the closer you are to the lightning. Light travels through air much faster than sound. If you see the lightning and hear the thunder immediately, then the lightning is very close to you. So, remember this important lesson: when thunder roars, go indoors. Hello, curious kids! Ask an adult to send your question to africa-curiouskids theconversation.