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Thunder is sound- it travels at the speed of sound- about 1100 feet per second. Lightning is light- it travels at the speed of light- about 186,000 miles a second. The light is faster, gets there first.

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Q: Explain why thunder is heard after the lightning is seen?
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2 My lightning comes before my thunder my thunder comes before the rain my rain before all clouds. What am I?

The answer is a storm. Lightning is seen before thunder, which is heard before rain, which falls from the clouds during a storm.


How is thunder produced and how far away does the lightning strikes if the thunder is heard 15 seconds after the lightning is seen?

Thunder - is the result of a lightning flash. The flash causes the surrounding air to move away from the source at 300 metres/second. An approximate calculation for the relationship between the lightning flash to hearing the thunder, is 5 seconds per mile.


Is lightning a myth or fact?

Surely you have heard thunder and seen lightening during a storm - what you can see and measure is fact not myth.


A distant lightning can be seen several seconds before the accompanying thunder is heard. Why?

Light travels faster than sound


When lighting appears in the remote distance and appears to produce no thunder it is called?

When lightning appears in the remote distance and appears to produce no thunder sound, it is popularly known as "heat lightning." Meteorologists will tell you that there really is no such thing as a distinct type of lightning that is not followed by thunder. All lightning produces thunder, but it is only audible for a distance of some 15-20 miles from the storm. At night, lightning can be seen for distances of up to 125 miles if the conditions are right. So when lightning is seen but no thunder is heard, you are simply too far away from the storm.

Related questions

Is thunder heard before you see lightning?

No, lightning is seen before thunder is heard. The speed of light is faster than the speed of sound, so light from the lightning reaches us first, followed by the sound of thunder a few seconds later.


Why do we see lightning first and then followed by thunder?

Lightning and thunder are phenomena that happen simultaneously but are observed at different times due to the difference in speed of light and sound. Light travels faster than sound, so we see the lightning flash first and then hear the thunder that follows it later.


When lighting appears in the remote distance and appears to produce no thunder sound it is called?

That phenomenon is called heat lightning. Heat lightning is usually seen on warm summer nights and occurs when lightning from a distant thunderstorm is too far away for the sound of thunder to be heard, but the lightning can still be seen in the sky.


The clap of a thunder was heard 4 seconds after the flash of lightning was seen If the air temperature was 28 degree celsius how far was the lightning?

the lightning was 0.8 miles away.


2 My lightning comes before my thunder my thunder comes before the rain my rain before all clouds. What am I?

The answer is a storm. Lightning is seen before thunder, which is heard before rain, which falls from the clouds during a storm.


How is thunder produced and how far away does the lightning strikes if the thunder is heard 15 seconds after the lightning is seen?

Thunder - is the result of a lightning flash. The flash causes the surrounding air to move away from the source at 300 metres/second. An approximate calculation for the relationship between the lightning flash to hearing the thunder, is 5 seconds per mile.


Is lightning a myth or fact?

Surely you have heard thunder and seen lightening during a storm - what you can see and measure is fact not myth.


A distant lightning can be seen several seconds before the accompanying thunder is heard. Why?

Light travels faster than sound


When lighting appears in the remote distance and appears to produce no thunder it is called?

When lightning appears in the remote distance and appears to produce no thunder sound, it is popularly known as "heat lightning." Meteorologists will tell you that there really is no such thing as a distinct type of lightning that is not followed by thunder. All lightning produces thunder, but it is only audible for a distance of some 15-20 miles from the storm. At night, lightning can be seen for distances of up to 125 miles if the conditions are right. So when lightning is seen but no thunder is heard, you are simply too far away from the storm.


Why is the sound of a thunder heard after the lighting is seen although they are produced at the same time?

Light travels faster than sound, so when lightning strikes, the light is seen immediately while the sound takes time to reach our ears. The delay in hearing the thunder allows us to calculate the distance of the storm based on the time difference between seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder.


What is the difference between heat lightning and regular lightning?

Heat lightning is a term used to describe lightning that can be seen from a distance without hearing thunder. It is usually from a distant storm and is not directly associated with the thunderstorm you are observing. Regular lightning produces thunder because it is closer to you, and the sound of thunder travels slower than light, causing a delay between the flash of lightning and the sound of thunder.


Can Lightning and thunder occur simultaneously?

No, they do not occur simultaneously. Lightning is the visible discharge of electricity from a thunderstorm, while thunder is the sound caused by the rapid expansion and contraction of air surrounding a lightning bolt. Lightning is seen before thunder is heard because light travels faster than sound.