Flash-to-bang method

Two hikers look at distant lightning and count how long it takes to hear the thunder to estimate how far the lightning is away

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How far away is the storm? The flash-to-bang method can help.

When lightning is made by a storm the rapid heating and expansion of the air create the thunderclap. But because sound travels slower than light, there's a gap between seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder it produced. Using Distance = speed x time, by counting the seconds from seeing the lightning you can easily estimate how far away it is.

Conveniently, the speed of sound in air is about 330 metres/second. So depending on your unit preference:

every 3s you wait the thunder travels about 1 km
every 5s you wait the thunder travels about 1 mile

Give it a try at a safe distance from your next lightning storm.

Also see: thunderclap or rumble, thunder clouds, dirty thunderstorm

Published 31 Jul 2022

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