Why Do You Hear Thunder After Lightning

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Why Do You Hear Thunder After Lightning?

Thunder is created when lightning passes through the air. The lightning discharge heats the air rapidly and causes it to expand. … 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 do you always hear thunder after lightning?

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 the heated air expands the pressure drops the air cools and it contracts.

How loud is lightning right next to you?

As Washington Post deputy weather editor Angela Fritz explains the sound of the strike — similar to the sound of gunshots — is the sound of air heating up to “54 000 degrees Fahrenheit.” “The air around the lightning bolt expands faster than the speed of sound which creates a shock wave of thunder.”

Can thunder hurt you?

What is there to be scared of? Most storms are harmless even soothing to some and nurturing to plants and wildlife. Thunder can’t hurt us of course but lightning strikes can be deadly. … Still lightning strikes are deadly which is why you should go indoors when you hear thunder.

What does it mean when thunder is really loud?

If the thunder sounds more like a rumble the lightning was at least several miles away. The loud boom that you sometimes hear is created by the main lightning channel as it reaches the ground. … Remember if you can hear thunder chances are that you’re within striking distance of the storm.

Why is there lightning but no rain?

Dry thunderstorm refers to thunder and lightning that occur without bringing rain to the ground. In fact the thunder-bearing clouds do produce rain but the rain droplets have evaporated in the air before reaching the ground. … The anvil cloud is so high that rain coming from it evaporates before reaching the ground.

Can you smell lightning?

Even if there’s barely any lightning there are still trace amounts of lightning-produced ozone and nitrogen dioxide in the air scattered about the storm. When the gust front of a storm carries it out ahead of the rain you can smell it before it’s “scavenged” to the ground. … You may just be smelling lightning.

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What attracts lightning to a person?

Myth: Structures with metal or metal on the body (jewelry cell phones Mp3 players watches etc) attract lightning. Fact: Height pointy shape and isolation are the dominant factors controlling where a lightning bolt will strike. The presence of metal makes absolutely no difference on where lightning strikes.

Can you get struck by lightning in your home?

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.

Can lightning strike a phone?

Lightning can follow the wire to the handset and can injure the person using a landline. … If someone is struck by lightning and they have a cell phone on them it will usually melt or burn. People have taken that and blamed the cell phone Jensenius said but in reality it is unrelated.

Why is it safe to sit inside a car during a thunderstorm?

Cars are safe from lightning because of the metal cage surrounding the people inside the vehicle. This may sound counter-intuitive because metal is a good conductor of electricity but the metal cage of a car directs the lightning charge around the vehicle occupants and safely into the ground.

Where is the safest place to be during a lightning storm?

The safest location during a thunderstorm is inside a large enclosed structure with plumbing and electrical wiring. These include shopping centers schools office buildings and private residences.

What is the loudest thunder ever recorded?

The Krakatoa explosion registered 172 decibels at 100 miles from the source. This is so astonishingly loud that it’s inching up against the limits of what we mean by “sound.”

What does it mean when thunder shakes your house?

Why does the house shake when there is a thunder storm? 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).

What is the 30 30 rule for lightning?

Don’t forget the 30-30 rule. After you see lightning start counting to 30. If you hear thunder before you reach 30 go indoors. Suspend activities for at least 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder.

Can lightning cause a fire?

Lightning plays an outsized role in wildfires: More than 40% of wildfires in the West largely in places other than California were caused by lightning and those fires accounted for more than 70% of the acreage burned between 1992 and 2015 according to the U.S. Forest Service.

What is red lightning?

Sprites also known as red lightning are electrical discharges that appear as bursts of red light above clouds during thunderstorms. … The researchers hope to learn more about the physical and chemical processes that give rise to sprites and other forms of upper atmospheric lightning.

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What is rogue lightning?

Dry Lighting

“This what we we often call dry lightning ” William Patzert from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory told Business Insider of the “rogue lightning” storm. The rain was falling but the dry atmosphere made it evaporate before it hit the ground.

Can you feel a storm coming?

It is possible to feel that storm coming “in your bones” – or in your head. “Barometric pressure is atmospheric pressure the weight of the atmosphere ” said headache specialist Dr. … Weather shifts and storms come with other changes like temperature swings rain or snow and changes in the wind.

What is the smell of rain called?

Petrichor

Petrichor is the term coined by Australian scientists in 1964 to describe the unique earthy smell associated with rain. It is caused by the water from the rain along with certain compounds like ozone geosmin and plant oils. and in soil.

Do thunderstorms create ozone?

Stratospheric ozone is indicated to be the principal source of ozone associated with thunderstorms. Stratospheric ozone is believed to be entrained into the thunderstorm at high levels near or above the tropopause. It is transported into the low levels of the atmosphere by the storm’s downdraft.

How do you know if lightning is about to strike you?

7 Signs That Lightning Is About to Strike
  1. You See Tall Bright White Clouds. …
  2. You Can Hear the Thunder Approaching. …
  3. You See Your Hair Standing on End or Feel Tingling. …
  4. You Taste Something Metallic. …
  5. You Smell the Scent of Ozone in the Air. …
  6. You Start to Get Dizzy or Sweat. …
  7. You Can Hear Vibrating Buzzing or Crackling.

Can lightning go through a window?

Lightning can jump through windows so keep your distance from them during storms! The second way lightning can enter a building is through pipes or wires. If the lightning strikes utility infrastructure it can travel through those pipes or wires and enter your home that way.

Is it safe to sleep near a window during a thunderstorm?

There is not an increased chance of getting hit by lightning if you are near a window. The reason you are supposed to stay away from windows is because the glass could shatter and send pieces flying in all directions. A lightning bolt would explode the glass window before it would travel through the glass.

Is it safe to poop during a thunderstorm?

That combined with the methane gas in poop caused the bomb-like effect that traveled through the pipes exploding the toilet in their master bathroom. … The plumbing company said this is just as rare as getting struck by lightning yourself. Luckily the mess will be covered by insurance.

Why do trees get hit by lightning?

Because lightning tends to hit tall objects trees are likely targets. They’re especially prone to lightning strikes because electricity seeks the path of least resistance and the sap and moisture inside a tree make it a better conductor than the surrounding air.

What happens if lightning hits a plane?

Lightning will usually hit a protruding part of the plane such as the nose or the tip of the wing. … The fuselage acts like a Faraday cage protecting the inside of the plane while the voltage moves along the outside of the container.

Who gets struck by lightning the most?

Males are five times more likely than females to be struck by lightning around 85% of lightning fatalities are men. People aged 15–34 years account for almost half of all lightning strike victims (41%).

Does lightning strike Wi-Fi?

Wi-Fi and cellphone internet signals do not attract lightning since they are not technically solid objects but waveform frequencies in the EMF spectrum. The cellphone towers over which mobile internet data is sent can sometimes attract lightning but there is no danger to humans in using Wi-Fi during storms.

Do cars get struck by lightning?

NO! Like trees houses and people anything outside is at risk of being struck by lightning when thunderstorms are in the area including cars. … The lightning will then pass through the vehicle’s outer metal shell then through the tires to the ground.

Do birds get hit by lightning?

Birds do get hit by lightning and are often killed by it. Birds that have been hit in the past include geese blackbirds starlings cowbirds owls and even pelicans. However these cases are rare as most birds do not take flight in the rain or in a thunderstorm due to the low barometric pressure.

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Is it safe to stand under a tree during lightning?

Fact: Sheltering under a tree is just about the worst thing you can do. If lightning does hit the tree there’s the chance that a “ground charge” will spread out from the tree in all directions. Being underneath a tree is the second leading cause of lightning casualties.

How do you stop lightning from hitting your house?

Here’s how to stay safe:
  1. Avoid plumbing altogether. No showers baths doing dishes or washing your hands. …
  2. Avoid plumbing altogether. No showers baths doing dishes or washing your hands. …
  3. Don’t touch electronics. …
  4. Don’t touch electronics. …
  5. Stay away from windows and doors. …
  6. Stay away from windows and doors.

Can being struck by lightning change your eye color?

LOUISVILLE Ky (WDRB) — A Haleyville Alabama teen says a lightning strike corrected her vision and changed the color of her eyes.

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