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Lightning, Thunder & The 30-30 Rule
You can determine how close lightning struck to where you are by counting in seconds after you see lightning until you hear thunder. Divide by 5 for miles, divide by 3 for kilometers.
For Example:
- You see lightning
- You count 12 seconds and then you hear thunder
The lightning struck and the storm is approximately 4 kilometers or 2.4 miles away (12 seconds / 3 = 4 kilometers away; or 12 seconds / 5 miles = 2.4 miles away).
Huh?
The speed of light travels faster than the speed of sound (that’s why we see the lightning first) and it takes approximately 5 seconds for the sonic boom to travel one mile.
If you count less than 30 seconds: Practice the 30-30 rule:
Take appropriate shelter when you can count 30 seconds or less between lightning and thunder.
Remain sheltered for 30 minutes after the last thunder.
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We always counted seconds for miles when we were kids.
this means that it is a heck of alot closer than we were thinking.
How I love to set on the patio and watch and listen to a thunder storm.