[Trivia] If thunder sounds immediately after the flash, is it close by?
Hello, this is Mio.
Light reaches your eyes instantly, but
sound travels relatively slowly,
so the time lag increases with distance.
By counting the time difference between when the lightning strikes and when you hear the sound, you can estimate where the lightning struck.
1 second: about 340 meters to the lightning
3 seconds: about 1 kilometer
5 seconds: about 1.7 kilometers
I think it is rare to see lightning strike right in front of you, but you can see that it often strikes closer than you might imagine.
How to calculate the distance to lightning
As a simple calculation method,
assume the speed of sound is approximately 340 m/s.
You can find it using the formula below.
Distance (m) = Number of seconds × 340
Based on this, if you hear the sound 3 seconds after the lightning strikes:
Distance = 3 seconds × 340 m/s = approximately 1,020 meters
You can make an estimate like this.
Since it is difficult to predict where lightning will strike,
if the time difference between the light and sound is short, please evacuate immediately.