What is the distance of the storm to actually start hearing thunder?
2007-03-24 05:12:01 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Weather
Thunder is the sound of rapidly heated air expanding and vibrating, and shock waves. Light travels faster than sound, so we see the lightning before we hear the resulting thunder. Using the speeds of light and sound as well as the atmospheric conditions, you could calculate exactly how far away the storm is.
Chances are you're not going to have a calculator handy during a storm. However you can approximate the storm's distance in miles by counting the seconds between the lightning and thunder and dividing by five. It takes about five seconds for the sonic boom to travel one mile, so if you see the sky illuminated by a streak of lightning and count 10 seconds until you hear the low rumble of the thunder, the storm is about two miles away.
2007-03-24 05:33:26 · answer #1 · answered by ddm2156 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lightning can strike up to 16 Km (10 miles) from a thunderstorm so if im not mistaking since you can hear thunder another 10 miles from lightning, then im guessing you can hear thunder if a storm was around 20 miles away.
Sorry, hope i didn't confuse you!! =P
2007-03-24 12:39:28 · answer #2 · answered by absolutebalderdash1 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I saw this in Poltergeist, and I also tried it. When you see the lightning, start counting. The less numbers you get to when you hear the thunder means the storm is close. If your number is higher before the thunder-then the storm is headed away.
2007-03-24 05:21:56 · answer #3 · answered by bowlegs56 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I was always told that you count the number of seconds between a lightning strike and the proceeding thunder and that number is about how many miles away the storm is.
2007-03-24 05:16:56 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends on where you are. Sound carried better over water so you will be able to hear it from farther away if you are on the ocean. If you are in the mountains you may not hear it till it is almost on top of you. If you want to know how far away it is count the second from the flash till you hear it and the divide by 7 and that is how many miles away it is.
2007-03-24 05:24:32 · answer #5 · answered by Doc E 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
turn on or off won't make plenty distinction. A severe voltage surge is going to hop over swap contacts and pass your surge protector too. in case you pick, you will possibly be able to unplug, however the surge could be from a lightning strike many miles from you. you will spend quite some time with unplugged home equipment. you're plenty greater in all possibility to wreck your pc or television with a spark out of your finger after shuffling throughout a rug.
2016-12-08 10:11:34 · answer #6 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you could get hit by lightning ten miles from a storm, most lightning deaths are in new mexico and florida
2007-03-24 13:24:25 · answer #7 · answered by philosopherx 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends on how mach power it generate. It could me miles away.
2007-03-24 05:20:49 · answer #8 · answered by king willson the kong 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋