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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.

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12y ago
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5mo ago

To determine how far away lightning is in feet, you can count the number of seconds between seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder. Then divide this number by 5. The result will give you the distance in miles, which you can then convert to feet by multiplying by 5,280 (1 mile = 5,280 feet).

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15y ago

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.

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13y ago

Sound travels about 1000 feet per second and light travels very very fast. So you count how many seconds after you see lightning before you hear the thunder, then multiply by 1000.

So if you hear thunder 5 seconds after you see the lightning, that is 5000 feet, approximately

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Q: How do you determine how far away lightning is in feet?
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Related questions

How can you determine how far lightning is away from sound?

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.


What kind of lightning is heat lightning?

Lightning from a distant thunderstorm too far away for thunder to be heard


Clare sees a lightning flash and counts 10 seconds before hearing its thunderclap If the speed of sound in air at sea level is about 730 miles per hour how far away is the lightning?

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.


What type of lightning is heat lightning?

Heat lightning is just ordinary lightning that is too far away for you to hear the thunder.


How far does the super soaker lightning storm shoot?

The Super Soaker Lightning Storm can shoot water up to 25 feet away.


If you see lightning and didn't here thunder what dose that mean?

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.


How do you tell how far away a storm is?

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 a lightning strike were to strike a muddy patch of ground how far away could you stand without being hurt?

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.


How far away is 75 feet?

75 feet


Is it true that you can use thunder to tell how far away a storm?

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.


How far from the heavy rain of a thunderstorm can lightning strike?

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 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.