What Causes ‘Thunder’ After a Flash of Lightning?

Lightning is super fast, it goes at the speed of light. But thunder is slower because it’s just sound waves traveling through air. That’s why you see lightning first and hear thunder a little later. It’s like when someone flashes a light and then claps, you see the flash instantly, but the clap takes time to reach your ears.

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Examples

When a storm is far away, you see lightning first and hear thunder seconds later, like watching a movie and hearing the sound delayed.
It’s like seeing your friend wave at you from across the street but only hearing them shout a few moments later.
If you’re near a lightning strike, the flash and boom happen almost at the same time, it’s like being in the middle of an explosion.

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Categories: Science · lightning,thunder,sound waves,speed of light,atmospheric science