Does the volume/strength of thunder have anything to do with the strength of the storm?

Answer 1

It can be an indicator but it's not a hard and fast rule. There are some very violent storms in which there is little or no thunder and lightning, likewise there are times when it thunders and lightnings but in the absence of stormy conditions.

Thunder is caused by lightning, the more powerful the lightning the more powerful the thunder. Lightning results from the build up of positive and nagative charges within the clouds and on the ground. In general, the more turbulent the storm clouds are the quicker these charges build up and also in general, the more turbulence the more powerful the storm.

For thunder and lightning to occur there has to be the correct atmospheric conditions and these aren't the same conditions that create storms - the two are linked but they're not the same.

Answer 2

I think it does. Some thunderstorms just roll by with a bunch of rumbles and rain and flashes. But I've noticed that the biggest storms tend to be potent producers of lightning and subsequentially big boomers. In these storms there is lots of energy, and this creates big lightning bolts, as opposed to flashes which are mostly discharges between the clouds. But when there is a strong storm, the electrical buildup is huge, and that leads to megavolts of electricity that eventually discharges to the ground. I've been in storms like this and the lightning is blinding and the thunder deafening, not to mention huge downpours.

Answer 3

Thunder is the end result of electricity vaporizing the air. (lightning) The bigger the bolt of lightning, that much more displaced air slaps back together and you get louder/longer thunderclaps. I think it would be safe to say that with higher electricity in the air, which results in bigger bolts of lightning, which results in bigger thunder claps, the stronger the storm.