Is thunder produced by lightning?
Thunder is caused by the rapid expansion of the air surrounding the path of a lightning bolt. From the clouds to a nearby tree or roof, a lightning bolt takes only a few thousandths of a second to split through the air. The loud thunder that follows the lightning bolt is commonly said to come from the bolt itself.
What is produced by lightning?
Lightning is a discharge of electricity. A single stroke of lightning can heat the air around it to 30,000°C (54,000°F)! This extreme heating causes the air to expand explosively fast. The expansion creates a shock wave that turns into a booming sound wave, known as thunder.
Is lightning and thunder same?
People talk about thunder and lightning as if they are different. Actually, lightning and thunder are more than just related: They are the same thing. Lightning is the visible flash of the spark, and thunder is the sound. Because light travels fast (186,000 miles per second), we see it instantaneously.
Does lightning or thunder come first?
If we are watching the sky, we see the lightning before we hear the thunder. That is because light travels much faster than sound waves. We can estimate the distance of the lightning by counting how many seconds it takes until we hear the thunder.
How is heat lightning created?
Many people incorrectly believe that heat lightning is a specific type of lightning. In reality, it is just light produced by a distant thunderstorm. The light is then reflected off of higher-level clouds allowing it to be seen from great distances.
Which comes first the thunder or lightning?
If we are watching the sky, we see the lightning before we hear the thunder. That is because light travels much faster than sound waves. It takes approximately 5 seconds for the sound to travel 1 mile. If the thunder follows the lightning almost instantly, you know the lightning is too close for comfort!
Can lightning without thunder?
No, it is not possible to have thunder without lightning. Thunder starts as a shockwave from the explosively expanding lightning channel when a large current causes rapid heating. However, it is possible that you might see lightning and not hear the thunder because it was too far away.
Why do we say thunder and lightning?
This idiom is used when a person does what another person was planning to do before they do it. You might hear people say someone has ‘a face like thunder’. This idiom probably draws inspiration from thunder itself which is often loud, scary and angry sounding. ‘To be as fast as lightning’ means to be extremely fast.
Why is there lightning but no thunder or rain?
The phenomenon that is called silent or heat lightning is simply cloud-to-ground lightning that occurs very far away, with thunder that dissipates before it reaches the observer and cannot be heard. “You sometimes see the lightning flash but you are too far away to hear the thunder.”
How is thunderstorm produced?
Thunderstorms arise when layers of warm, moist air rise in a large, swift updraft to cooler regions of the atmosphere. There the moisture contained in the updraft condenses to form towering cumulonimbus clouds and, eventually, precipitation.
How is lightning formed?
Lightning is an electrical discharge caused by imbalances between storm clouds and the ground, or within the clouds themselves. Most lightning occurs within the clouds. This heat causes surrounding air to rapidly expand and vibrate, which creates the pealing thunder we hear a short time after seeing a lightning flash.