I’ve heard a few explanations, but I still don’t really understand it.
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Did you hear this one?:
“Thunder is the sound produced by the rapid expansion and contraction of air heated by a lightning bolt, creating a shock wave heard as a rumble or crack. It is always produced by lightning and can range from a sharp crack to a long rumble depending on distance and conditions.”
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Yes, I have heard that description. The low rumble thunder is particularly perplexing to me.
What may make understanding difficult is that we don’t have an idea of the air masses being moved.
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The loud booming or rumbling sound caused by a flash of lightning. When lightning strikes, it instantly superheats the surrounding air to extreme temperatures, causing the air to expand rapidly and create a powerful shock wave that travels to our ears.
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It is said that you never hear the thunder crack from the lightning bolt that kills you…
Lightning moves at the speed of light, 186,000 miles per second…
whereas thunder moves at the speed of sound around 750 miles an hour.
You can count the seconds between the flash of lightning and the rumble of thunder to determine how far away the storm is…186,000 divided by 750 divided by 60 seconds = about 4 seconds per mile. I think… 