Lightning is attracted to the ground and clouds. You may have been brought up to believe that what attracts lightning is holding or wearing metal, and this is actually false. The position of a storm relative to the location of where someone is determines where lightning will strike. The very act of being outdoors during a thunderstorm will.
What sound does Lightning make?
Thunder, the sound that follows lightning, comes from rapid air expansion around the lightning bolt. The heat from lightning causes the air around the bolt to reach temperatures of over 40,000 degrees Fahrenheit rapidly. The heated air compresses then explodes outwards, forming a shock wave and creating a loud noise.
Our answer is that as Angela Fritz, atmospheric scientist and deputy weather editor at The Washington Post explains, the lightning sounds like a Civil War cannon for a number of reasons. “The sound is the air being heated 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.
Pale glowing plasma discharges, called corona and streamers, will often jump from the tips of trees and blades of grass, making a sizzling and clicking noise just before the lightning flash actually occurs. From first-hand experience, you may hear a crackling noise for half a second or so before the main discharge.
You see, thunder is the sound caused by lightning. [1] [2] [3] Depending upon the distance from and nature of the lightning, it can range from a long, low rumble to a sudden, loud crack. The sudden increase in temperature and hence pressure caused by the lightning produces rapid expansion of the air in the path of a lightning bolt.
To answer your question, lightning travels at the speed of light. But you see lighting before you hear thunder because light, which travels a million times faster than sound, arrives almost instantly. Sound, on the other hand, takes about five seconds to travel one mile.
Another frequently asked question is “Do lighting bugs make noise?”.
Some live beautiful lives of service and sacrifice for others, lighting their world with living proof of a loving God. But others, though attracted to the light just like the Junebugs, do little more than make a lot of noise. Things are pretty rough out there right now, aren’t they?
Does lightning always have Thunder?
Yes, there will always be thunder after you see lightning. It all depends on how close you are to the lightning strike. Thunder is the result of lightning heating up the air to as hot as 50,000 degrees. This sudden heating of the air causes it to rapidly expand and vibrate the air around it.
No, it is not possible to have lightning without thunder, according to NOAA. Thunder is a direct result of lightning. Thunder is a direct result of lightning. If you see lightning but don’t hear thunder, it is because the thunder is too far away.
So, does lightning always come before Thunder?
Lightning comes before thunder in a way, the speed of light, the lightning comes before the speed of sound, the thunder. Once lightning occurs, the thunder will ALWAYS follow. There is a sound barrier that covers the earth. When the lightning breaks it, we see it faster than we hear the thunder.
Does sunlight make a sound?
The surface of the Sun produces sound waves because the surface is convecting and this produces pressure waves that travel into the inner corona. These pressure waves steepen into shock waves and this is possibly why the corona gets so hot.
Why does wind make a noise?
Friction- occurs when objects rub over each other. When the air speed increases, the friction over objects increases also. The process of friction can release sound especially as wind speed becomes very high.