Table of Contents
The temperature of the air in the lightning channel may reach as high as 50,000 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.
Why does thunder sound like a bomb?
The sound originates at the lightning. The superheated air rapidly expands and then collapses back into itself, that rapid expansion and collapse is the source of the sound. If that happened at one spot, then all the sound would reach your ears at the same time and you would hear a single explosion.
Why is thunder so loud sometimes?
Why is thunder so loud? It’s because the amount of electrical energy that flows from the cloud to the ground is so enormous: it’s like a very big waterfall of electricity. The louder the sound that you hear, the closer you are to the lightning. Light travels through air much faster than sound.
Why does lightning make noise late?
Lightning is seen earlier and thunder is heard later because the speed of sound is 330 m/s and the speed of light is 300,000,000 m/s. Light travels faster than a sound. Thus, light from the lightning reaches first to you. The sound from the lightning takes longer to reach and hence heard later.
Does lightning itself make a sound?
Yes. The sound the lightning itself makes is called thunder. Well in a vacuum, there is no sound, but normally lightning happens in the atmosphere and it does make a sound, it’s called thunder!.
Can thunder shake a house?
Your house will shake depending the closeness of the lightning. Thunder is a sonic boom that comes from the rapid heating of the air around a lightning strike. Sonic booms cause massive shaking to nearby objects (your house). This will happen if the lightning is very close.
What was the loudest thunder ever recorded?
The explosion was loud enough that this level of noise was recorded many miles away from the site of the blast. A sound of 174 decibels was recorded by barometers 100 miles from Krakatoa. That meant anyone within an 100 mile radius of Krakatoa had a chance of being literally deafened by this sound.
Do birds get struck by lightning?
Lightning also strikes birds. An observer once saw a bolt of lightning strike a large flock of migrating snow geese, dropping more than 50 of the birds. Bald eagles have been struck while sitting on their nests, and John James Audubon described two common nighthawks blown from the sky by a lightning bolt.
Is it safe to watch TV in a thunderstorm?
Electrical appliances can be damaged even without lightning striking your house. That’s why it’s an advantage to disconnect electrical appliances such as your TV. It isn’t dangerous to watch TV during a thunderstorm, but the electronics in a TV set are vulnerable.
Is it bad to take a bath during a thunderstorm?
No. Lightning can travel through plumbing. It is best to avoid all water during a lightning storm. Do not shower, bathe, wash dishes, or wash your hands.
How long does a lightning last?
Lightning is not distributed evenly around Earth, as shown in the map. On Earth, the lightning frequency is approximately 44 (± 5) times per second, or nearly 1.4 billion flashes per year and the average duration is 0.2 seconds made up from a number of much shorter flashes (strokes) of around 60 to 70 microseconds.
Can you have lightning without thunder?
No, it is not possible to have thunder without lightning. Thunder starts as a shockwave from the explosively expanding lightning channel when a large current causes rapid heating. However, it is possible that you might see lightning and not hear the thunder because it was too far away. Thunder is caused by lightning.
How loud is lightning up close?
A clap of thunder typically registers at about 120 dB in close proximity to the ground stroke. This is 10 times louder than a garbage truck or pneumatic jackhammer drill. By comparison, sitting in front of speakers at a rock concert can expose you to a continuous 120+ dB level.
Can you go deaf from lightning?
Most survivors of a lightning strike, however, experience long-term effects, including severe burns, brain damage, deafness, and memory loss.
What is the loudest sound?
The loudest sound in recorded history came from the volcanic eruption on the Indonesian island Krakatoa at 10.02 a.m. on August 27, 1883. The explosion caused two thirds of the island to collapse and formed tsunami waves as high as 46 m (151 ft) rocking ships as far away as South Africa.
Is thunder an energy?
An average bolt of lightning, striking from cloud to ground, contains roughly one billion (1,000,000,000) joules of energy. In the forms of electricity, light, heat and thunder, this energy is all released by the flash in a matter of milli- or even microseconds.
Are airplanes safe from lightning?
Planes all over the world get struck by lightning almost daily. While some travelers may feel that this would be an unpleasant experience, modern jetliners are designed to cope with lightning strikes. They go through specific lightning tests to make sure they can withstand hits as part of their certification.
Can lightning hit your house?
Even though your home is a safe shelter during a lightning storm, you may still be at risk. About one-third of lightning-strike injuries occur indoors. Here are some tips to keep safe and reduce your risk of being struck by lightning while indoors.
What does it mean when thunder lasts a long time?
Thunder lasts longer than lightning due to the time it takes for the sound to travel from different parts of the lightning channel. When the sound of thunder has a rumbling quality, it is the sound waves reaching the listener at different times owing to the shape of the lightning strike.
How loud can a human yell?
Human screams can be quite loud, possibly exceeding 100 dB (as of March 2019, the world record is 129 dB!) —but you probably want to avoid that because screams that loud can hurt your ears! You should also have found sound levels drop off quickly as you get farther from the source.
What is the loudest clap ever?
The loudest clap measured 113 dBA and was produced by Alastair Galpin (New Zealand) at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, on 2 November 2008.
Can we use Internet while thundering?
During a storm, you may use a laptop or tablet inside as long as the device is not plugged into a wall outlet. Also, stay away from windows and doors while using your laptop or tablet to avoid static electricity damage and lightning strikes.
