First, look for a flash of lightning. After seeing one, count seconds. After research, I have seen that you can count seconds any way you prefer, like "One Mississippi, Two Mississippi," and so on, or "1, 100, 2, 100" and so on. Count whichever you like or other methods. They are both the same in time elapsed. Keep counting seconds until you hear a clap of thunder. Divide the number of seconds by five. The number you have is how many miles away the storm is.
First, you must see the lightning flash. Count each second, until you hear thunder. Then divide the number of seconds by 5, and that is approximately how far away the lightning is in miles. A more traditional method doesn't divide by 5, but just counts the seconds. Dividing by 5 is more reliable, though.
The speed of sound is approximately 1,125 feet per second (fps). Since Clare counted 10 seconds between the flash and the thunder, the lightning strike is approximately 11,250 feet away. This is equal to about 2.13 miles.
The Super Soaker Lightning Storm can shoot water up to 25 feet away.
If you see lightning but don't hear thunder, it means the lightning is far away. The speed of light is much faster than the speed of sound, so you usually see lightning before you hear the associated thunder.
Thunder is the sound caused by lightning, there is always thunder with lightning. If you cannot hear thunder maybe that is because you are too far away from the storm.
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.
You can determine how far away lightning is by counting the seconds between seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder, and then dividing by 5 to get the distance in miles or by 3 to get the distance in kilometers. Sound travels at a speed of about 1 kilometer per 3 seconds or 1 mile per 5 seconds.
Lightning from a distant thunderstorm too far away for thunder to be heard
The speed of sound is approximately 1,125 feet per second (fps). Since Clare counted 10 seconds between the flash and the thunder, the lightning strike is approximately 11,250 feet away. This is equal to about 2.13 miles.
Heat lightning is just ordinary lightning that is too far away for you to hear the thunder.
The Super Soaker Lightning Storm can shoot water up to 25 feet away.
If you see lightning but don't hear thunder, it means the lightning is far away. The speed of light is much faster than the speed of sound, so you usually see lightning before you hear the associated thunder.
To tell how far away a storm is note the seconds between the appearance of lightning and the sound of thunder. Every second between lightning and thunder represents one mile.
If lightning hit mud, it probably wouldn't travel that far. If you were not worried about your sight or hearing, it would probably be safe up to 40-50 feet away. I wouldn't recomend staning in mud during a thunderstorm though.
75 feet
Yes, you can estimate how far away a storm is by counting the seconds between when you see a lightning flash and hear the thunder. Each second represents roughly 1/5 of a mile, so if you count 5 seconds between the lightning and thunder, the storm is approximately 1 mile away.
Lightning can strike up to 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. It's important to take shelter and stay indoors when lightning is present, even if the storm seems far away.
the lightning was 0.8 miles away.