Q&A for How to Calculate the Distance from Lightning

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How much power is in lightning?

R2_d2000

Top Answerer

One lightning strike is about a billion volts and can be between 10,000 to 200,000 amps.

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Question

How is thunder caused?

Community Answer

Thunder is caused by the rapid expansion of air due to the extreme heat of lightning and thus creates a sonic boom (thunder) when it returns to its original state.

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Question

What is minimum distance that one cannot hear thunder after a lightning flash?

Community Answer

Thunder can be heard from a maximum distance of about 10 miles (16 km) under good atmospheric conditions.

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If lightning were to strike the water while I was swimming, at what depth would I be safe from being shocked?

Community Answer

273.54 ft. or 84.17 m in fresh water, approx. 18.74% shallower in salt water. Do not swim if there is lightning in the sky.

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Can the equation predict where the lightning will strike?

Community Answer

Unfortunately, you can never predict where the lightning will strike next. In fact, lightning doesn't always strike the area right beneath the thundercloud; it can strike as far as 10km away.

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Why does this rule work?

Community Answer

Well, sound travels at a speed of about 344 meters, or 1,129 feet, per second. This means if we times a number of seconds between the flash and the sound and times it by 344 (or 340 to be rounded down) ,we can get a number of metres that lightning is!

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Question

Is it true that if I hear thunder, I could be struck by lightning?

Community Answer

If you hear thunder, it means there is a thunderstorm where you are or nearby, and yes, you could get struck by lightning. It is best to be inside when there is any sign of a thunderstorm.

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Question

How do I calculate distance when it's just lightning?

Community Answer

Other than a lightning detecting system, there is not a clear way of knowing how far away the lightning is.

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Question

Does 5300 ft. in elevation change this?

Community Answer

Not much. Light travels negligibly quicker at higher elevations due to there being fewer particles of air; in contrast, sound travels much more slowly due to less interaction between the particles of air that exist at high elevations.

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Question

If a storm is 7.5 kilometers away, how much time is expected between observations of lightning and thunder?

Community Answer

Multiply by 3 (since 1km/3 seconds) 7.5km*3 seconds = 22.5 seconds from lightning to thunder.

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Is this formula the same in FL?

Community Answer

Yes, the formula applies wherever you live.

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Question

How much power is there in lightning?

Community Answer

Lightning has roughly 1 billion Joules of energy, which is enough to power an opened fridge for six months.

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Question

Regarding speed of sound: How do you arrive at 344m/s when you've previously stated it travels 1000m in 3 seconds? Shouldn't it be 334m/s?

Community Answer

3 seconds is just an average. It is just rounded off so that it is easier for someone to count seconds in their minds.

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Question

If I see lightning and hear thunder 10 seconds later, how far away is the lightning?

Community Answer

It is: 3.333 (reoccurring) km away. That is: 10 seconds divided by 3, as sound travels 3 km every second.

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Question

How many kilometers are there in a light year?

Community Answer

I don't know the exact answer, but A LOT. Since that's how much light travels in a year, probably an unthinkably large number.

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Question

How long does it take for the light of lightning to reach me?

Community Answer

Light travels at around 300,000,000 m/s (meters per second) so it's almost instantaneous. If you were 10 kms (6 miles) away from a lightning, the light would reach you in 0.00003 seconds. To put it in perspective, light can travel from the earth to the moon in 1.3 seconds.

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Question

The lightning flashes for one or two seconds, then the thousand count of 5 or more, then the thunder rumbles on and on for five or more seconds. When do you stop the thousand count?

Upnorth Here

Top Answerer

As detailed in the article: You start counting when you see the lightning and stop counting when you hear the thunder from that lightning (not some other lightning). Divide by 5 to approximate how many miles away the lightning was.

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Question

How close does lightning have to be when thunder is simultaneous with the lightning?

Alarmkid57

Community Answer

Right next to you because the speed of sound is slow, only 343 meters a second.

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Question

What's the source of electricity of thunderstruck?

Alarmkid57

Community Answer

The source of electricity is static buildup inside of a cloud. Lightning happens when the negative charge either connects with the positively charged ground (normal lightning bolt) or the positive charge top of the cloud (this is what happens when you see a cloud light but you don't see a bolt).

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