How many seconds between thunder and lightning

There are several things that you should consider to make sure you get out of the situation safely. If there is no shelter close by, crouch down tightly with both feet close together.

It is advisable for groups to spread out. Unfortunately this is a persistent myth , which we cannot let pass. Lightning can strike any point in open terrain, and certainly has no preference for certain trees.

You can tell when a lightning strike is imminent by observing the following signs: There is a gentle crackling in the air, your hair stands on end, metal objects begin to hum and prominent metal objects begin to emit a bluish glow. When you notice these phenomena, you take flight immediately, and follow the instructions described above! Heat thunderstorms are generally very easy to recognise and happen on particularly warm days.

The clouds typically build up into towering cumulus formations. The sound of thunder is actually the sound of lightning. When lightning strikes, it heats up the surrounding air incredibly quickly and to extremely high temperatures. Afterward, that air cools down and contracts quickly, which causes that loud thunder boom. We see lightning first because light travels faster than sound.

It takes approximately 5 seconds for the sound of thunder to travel a mile. The loud boom that you sometimes hear is created by the main lightning channel as it reaches the ground. Since you see lightning immediately and it takes the sound of thunder about 5 seconds to travel a mile, you can calculate the distance between you and the lightning.

Keep in mind that you should be in a safe place while counting. Remember, if you can hear thunder, chances are that you're within striking distance of the storm. You don't want to get struck by the next flash of lightning. A bolt of lightning heats the air along its path causing it to expand rapidly. Thunder is the sound caused by the rapidly expanding atmosphere.

The light and sound actually happen at the same time, but the light of the lightning flash travels faster than the grumbling sound of the thunder. The time between the flash of light and thunder will tell you how far you are from where the lightning struck.