What causes thunder?
Y is this in movies? lol Anyway….. Thunder is caused by lightning. The sound is made as the air around the lightning bolt rapidly heats and cools. The air around a lightning strike is heated to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit (27,500 C), as the air cools it causes a shock wave to occur known as thunder. The closer the lightning is, the louder the clap of thunder will be. You can think of thunder as nature’s way of warning you to take cover to avoid being struck by lightning. Over 100,000 thunderstorms are recorded every year but only a small percentage is considered ‘severe’ by the National Weather Service. Thunderstorms are capable of producing tornados, strong winds, hail and heavy rain, which can lead to flash flooding. The following tips are recommended if you hear thunder in the distance. If outside, take cover in a building or inside a car. If this is not possible, find a clear area and squat as close to the ground as possible. Never seek shelter under trees or near power lines, tele
Thunder is perceived as sound, which is mechanical energy. It is the shock wave created when a lightning bolt superheats air along its path of travel. The violent expansion of these ionized air molecules creates that shock wave, and that’s what we hear as thunder. A link is provided below to check facts and learn more.
The reason why lightning is always accompanied by thunder is because the thunder is caused by the bolt of electricity produced in a lightning strike. The deep rumbling and sharp cracks of thunder are produced as the air around the lightning bolt is super heated—up to 60,000 degrees Fahrenheit (33,315 C)—and rapidly expands. As the air cools and contracts, it creates a shock wave which manifests itself as thunder. The closer the lightning is, the louder the clap of thunder will be. Before science could provide an explanation based on scientific data in the 20th century, the cause of thunder was undetermined, and a matter of much dispute. Early Greeks believed it was caused by clouds colliding. Other theories include vacuums, exploding gases and steam. Thor, a god of Norse mythology is named for the Old Norse word for thunder, and is nearly always portrayed wielding a thunder clapping hammer. Over 100,000 thunderstorms are recorded every year but only a small percentage is considered “se
In the third century BC, it was believed that thunder is caused due to collision of clouds. However, the most accepted theory was developed in the 20th century. According to this theory, the bolts of lightning are very hot, much hotter than the surface of the sun. It is estimated that the bolt has a temperature of 30,000 to 50,000 degrees F (28,000 degrees C). When this high temperature bolt hits the surrounding air, there is an instant expansion of the air, sending out a shock wave or vibration, which we hear as a sound of explosion. Thus, in short, thunder is caused due to rapid heating and cooling of the air, near the stroke of lightning. The sound intensity of thunder varies, depending upon the nature of lightning and the distance of the hearer from the origin of the sound. You can estimate the distance (miles) from the strike; first count the interval between the flash of lightning and the sound of thunder in seconds and then divide the interval by five. In case, you are near to t
Richard Brill, a professor at Honolulu Community College, explains: Thunder is caused by lightning, which is essentially a stream of electrons flowing between or within clouds, or between a cloud and the ground. The air surrounding the electron stream is heated to as hot as 50,000 degrees Farhenheit, which is three times hotter than the surface of the sun. As the superheated air cools it produces a resonating tube of partial vacuum surrounding the lightning’s path. The nearby air rapidly expands and contracts. This causes the column to vibrate like a tubular drum head and produces a tremendous crack. As the vibrations gradually die out, the sound echoes and reverberates, generating the rumbling we call thunder. We can hear the thundering booms 10 miles or more distant from the lightning that caused it.
