Thunder and lightning

PDTV | 12:57 Tue 05th Feb 2002 | How it Works

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Can you tell how far away the lightning is by how long it takes the thunder to reach you?

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johnjo

Thunder and lightning happen at the same time. The reason they are experienced at different times is because light travels at 300,000 metres a second, while sound only travels at 340 metres a second. You see the light almost as soon as it happens, but the sound takes a little longer to travel trhough the air to meet you - it take around five seconds to travel a mile. So, yes, by counting carefully, you can estimate how far away a storm is.

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