Where does thunder boom come from, or the sound of thunder come from?

Answer 1

Thunder is caused by the rapid expansion of the air surrounding the path of a lightning bolt.

From the clouds to a nearby tree or roof, a lightning bolt takes only a few thousandths of a second to split through the air. The loud thunder that follows the lightning bolt is commonly said to come from the bolt itself. However, the grumbles and growls we hear in thunderstorms actually come from the rapid expansion of the air surrounding the lightning bolt.

As lightning connects to the ground from the clouds, a second stroke of lightning will return from the ground to the clouds, following the same channel as the first strike. The heat from the electricity of this return stroke raises the temperature of the surrounding air to around 27,000 C° (48,632 F°). Since the lightning takes so little time to go from point A to point B, the heated air has no time to expand. The heated air is compressed, raising the air from 10 to 100 times the normal atmospheric pressure. The compressed air explodes outward from the channel, forming a shock wave of compressed particles in every direction. Like an explosion, the rapidly expanding waves of compressed air create a loud, booming burst of noise.

Because electricity follows the shortest route, most lightning bolts are close to vertical. The shock waves nearer to the ground reach your ear first, followed by the crashing of the shock waves from higher up. Vertical lightning is often heard in one long rumble. However, if a lightning bolt is forked, the sounds change. The shock waves from the different forks of lightning bounce off each other, the low hanging clouds, and nearby hills to create a series of lower, continuous grumbles of thunder.

Thunder Fun Facts:

To judge how close lightning is, count the seconds between the flash and the thunderclap. Each second represents about 300m (984.25ft).
Thunder is not only heard during thunderstorms. It is uncommon, but not rare, to hear thunder when it is snowing.
Lightning does not always create thunder. In April 1885, five lightning bolts struck the Washington Monument during a thunderstorm, yet no thunder was heard.

Answer 2

Thunder is the sound made by lightning. Depending on the nature of the lightning and distance of the hearer, it can range from a sharp, loud crack to a long, low rumble. The sudden increase in pressure and temperature from lightning produces rapid expansion of the air surrounding and within a bolt of lightning. In turn, this expansion of air produces a sonic shock wave which produces the sound of thunder.

The current consensus is that thunder must begin with a shock wave in the air due to the sudden thermal expansion of the plasma in the lightning channel. In a fraction of a second the air is heated to a temperature approaching 28,000 °C (50,000 °F). This heating causes it to expand outward, plowing into the surrounding cooler air at a speed faster than sound would travel in that cooler air. The outward-moving pulse that results is a shock wave, similar in principle to the shock wave formed by an explosion, or at the front of a supersonic aircraft.

Answer 3

Thunder is the noise of the lightnig discharge.Heat from the lightning flash which can reach 22000 degree celcius causes the surrounding air molecules to expand rapidly producing the sound waves we hear.So,thunder is a type of 'sonic boom'(shocks created by supersonic flights which generate enormous amount of sound energy like an explosion) created by the rapid heating and expansion of air.The air should expand faster than the speed of sound to produce such a sound.

Answer 4

Thunder is the sound made by lightning. Depending on the nature of the lightning and distance of the hearer, it can range from a sharp, loud crack to a long, low rumble. The sudden increase in pressure and temperature from lightning produces rapid expansion of the air surrounding and within a bolt of lightning. In turn, this expansion of air produces a sonic shock wave which produces the sound of thunder.

Answer 5

Thunder is the sound made by using lightning. finding on the character of the lightning and distance of the listener, thunder can variety from a pointy, loud crack to an prolonged, low rumble (brontide). The unexpected strengthen in rigidity and temperature from lightning produces speedy strengthen of the air surrounding and interior of a bolt of lightning. In turn, this strengthen of air creates a sonic ask your self wave which produces the sound of thunder, frequently talked approximately as a clap, crack, or peal of thunder. the gap of the lightning could be calculated by using the listener finding on while the sound is heard vs. the inventive and prescient of the lightning strike.

Answer 6

The sudden increase in pressure and temperature from lightning produces rapid expansion of the air surrounding and within a bolt of lightning. In turn, this expansion of air produces a sonic shock wave which produces the sound of thunder.

Answer 7

The sudden increase in pressure and temperature from lightning produces rapid expansion of the air surrounding and within a bolt of lightning. In turn, this expansion of air produces a sonic shock wave which produces the sound of thunder.

Answer 8

The Thunderclap is a result of the rapidly expanding air caused by the intense heat of the lightening.

Answer 9

sshazzam has it right. The sound you hear is actually a sonic boom caused by the lightening breaking the sound barrier. Amazing isn't it?

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Answer 10

its the sound you hear after a lightning strikes..you know light is faster the sound....so lightning comes first before thunder comes..