Can you really measure how far away lightning
struck from you by counting the time until the thunderclap?
You certainly can. Sound travels through air at "the speed of sound" or 331.3 meters per second (1,087 feet per second) in dry air at 0 degrees C. At a normal temperature like 25 degrees C (82 degrees F) the speed is 346 meters per second. Obviously, the speed sound travels at changes depending on the temperature and the humidity, but a good, general number would be 350 meters per second and 1,200 feet per second. So think of sound traveling a kilometer in around 3 seconds and a mile in around 5 seconds. When you see a lightning flash start counting and then divide to see how far away the lightning struck. If it takes 10 seconds for the thunder to roll in, the lightning struck about 2 miles or 3 kilometers away.
You certainly can. Sound travels through air at "the speed of sound" or 331.3 meters per second (1,087 feet per second) in dry air at 0 degrees C. At a normal temperature like 25 degrees C (82 degrees F) the speed is 346 meters per second. Obviously, the speed sound travels at changes depending on the temperature and the humidity, but a good, general number would be 350 meters per second and 1,200 feet per second. So think of sound traveling a kilometer in around 3 seconds and a mile in around 5 seconds. When you see a lightning flash start counting and then divide to see how far away the lightning struck. If it takes 10 seconds for the thunder to roll in, the lightning struck about 2 miles or 3 kilometers away.
Charles Mims
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