Thunder

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For other uses, see Thunder (disambiguation).Not to be confused with lightning.
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Rain
Typical sound of rain with thunder
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Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. [1] [2] [3] Depending upon the distance from and nature of the lightning, it can range from a long, low rumble to a sudden, loud crack. The sudden increase in temperature and hence pressure caused by the lightning produces rapid expansion of the air in the path of a lightning bolt. [4] In turn, this expansion of air creates a sonic shock wave, often referred to as a "thunderclap" or "peal of thunder". The scientific study of thunder is known as brontology and the irrational fear (phobia) of thunder is called brontophobia.

Contents

Etymology

The d in Modern English thunder (from earlier Old English þunor) is epenthetic, and is now found as well in Modern Dutch donder (cf. Middle Dutch donre; also Old Norse þorr , Old Frisian þuner, Old High German donar, all ultimately descended from Proto-Germanic *þunraz). In Latin the term was tonare "to thunder". The name of the Nordic god Thor comes from the Old Norse word for thunder. [5]

The shared Proto-Indo-European root is *tón-r̥ or *tar-, also found in Gaulish Taranis . [6]

Cause

The cause of thunder has been the subject of centuries of speculation and scientific inquiry. [7] Early thinking was that it was made by deities, but the ancient Greek philosophers attributed it to natural causes, such as wind striking clouds (Anaximander, Aristotle) and movement of air within clouds (Democritus). [8] The Roman philosopher Lucretius held it was from the sound of hail colliding within clouds. [8]

In the mid-19th century, the accepted theory was that lightning produced a vacuum and that the collapse of that vacuum produced what is known as thunder. [7]

In the 20th century a consensus evolved that thunder must begin with a shock wave in the air due to the sudden thermal expansion of the plasma in the lightning channel. [9] [8] The temperature inside the lightning channel, measured by spectral analysis, varies during its 50 μs existence, rising sharply from an initial temperature of about 20,000  K to about 30,000 K, then dropping away gradually to about 10,000 K. The average is about 20,400 K (20,100 °C; 36,300 °F). [10] This heating causes a rapid outward expansion, impacting the surrounding cooler air at a speed faster than sound would otherwise travel. The resultant outward-moving pulse is a shock wave, [11] similar in principle to the shock wave formed by an explosion, or at the front of a supersonic aircraft. Near the source, the sound pressure level of thunder is usually 165 to 180 dB, but can exceed 200 dB in some cases. [12]

Experimental studies of simulated lightning have produced results largely consistent with this model, though there is continued debate about the precise physical mechanisms of the process. [13] [9] Other causes have also been proposed, relying on electrodynamic effects of the enormous current acting on the plasma in the bolt of lightning. [14]

Consequences

The shock wave in thunder is sufficient to cause property damage [7] and injury, such as internal contusion, to individuals nearby [15] Thunder can rupture the eardrums of people nearby, leading to permanently impaired hearing. [7] Even if not, it can lead to temporary deafness. [7]

Types

Vavrek et al. (n.d.) reported that the sounds of thunder fall into categories based on loudness, duration, and pitch. [7] Claps are loud sounds lasting 0.2 to 2 seconds and containing higher pitches. Peals are sounds changing in loudness and pitch. Rolls are irregular mixtures of loudness and pitches. Rumbles are less loud, last for longer (up to more than 30 seconds), and are of low pitch. [16]

Inversion thunder results when lightning strikes between cloud and ground occur during a temperature inversion; the resulting thunder sounds have significantly greater acoustic energy than from the same distance in a non-inversion condition. In an inversion, the air near the ground is cooler than the higher air; inversions often occur when warm moist air passes above a cold front. Within a temperature inversion, the sound energy is prevented from dispersing vertically as it would in a non-inversion and is thus concentrated in the near-ground layer. [17]

Cloud-to-ground lightning (CG) typically consists of two or more return strokes, from ground to cloud. Later return strokes have greater acoustic energy than the first. [18]

Perception

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Thundercracks
Sample of sharp cracking sounds of thunder heard immediately after nearby lightning strikes
Crack of thunder
A crack of thunder during the sound of falling rain
Thunder boom
A thunder boom
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The most noticeable aspect of lightning and thunder is that the lightning is seen before the thunder is heard. This is a consequence of the speed of light being much greater than the speed of sound. The speed of sound in dry air is approximately 343 m/s (1,130 ft/s) or 1,236 km/h (768 mph) at 20 °C (68 °F; 293 K). [19]

This translates to approximately 3 s/km (4.8 s/mi); saying "one thousand and one... one thousand and two..." is a useful method of counting the seconds from the perception of a given lightning flash to the perception of its thunder (which can be used to gauge the proximity of lightning for the sake of safety). Thus, take the counted seconds and divide by five, this will produce the distance in miles from the lightning strike. [20]

A very bright flash of lightning and an almost simultaneous sharp "crack" of thunder, a thundercrack, therefore indicates that the lightning strike was very near.

Close-in lightning has been described first as a clicking or cloth-tearing sound, then a cannon shot sound or loud crack/snap, followed by continuous rumbling. [7] The early sounds are from the leader parts of lightning, then the near parts of the return stroke, then the distant parts of the return stroke. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

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In meteorology, an inversion is a deviation from the normal change of an atmospheric property with altitude. It almost always refers to an inversion of the air temperature lapse rate, in which case it is called a temperature inversion. Normally, air temperature decreases with an increase in altitude, but during an inversion warmer air is held above cooler air.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lightning</span> Weather phenomenon involving electrostatic discharge

Lightning is a natural phenomenon formed by electrostatic discharges through the atmosphere between two electrically charged regions, either both in the atmosphere or one in the atmosphere and one on the ground, temporarily neutralizing these in a near-instantaneous release of an average of between 200 megajoules and 7 gigajoules of energy, depending on the type. This discharge may produce a wide range of electromagnetic radiation, from heat created by the rapid movement of electrons, to brilliant flashes of visible light in the form of black-body radiation. Lightning causes thunder, a sound from the shock wave which develops as gases in the vicinity of the discharge experience a sudden increase in pressure. Lightning occurs commonly during thunderstorms as well as other types of energetic weather systems, but volcanic lightning can also occur during volcanic eruptions. Lightning is an atmospheric electrical phenomenon and contributes to the global atmospheric electrical circuit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thunderstorm</span> Type of weather with lightning and thunder

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References

  1. ↑ "Severe Weather 101: Lightning Basics". nssl.noaa.gov. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Thunder Facts". factsjustforkids.com. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  3. ↑ "The Sound of Thunder". weather.gov. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  4. ↑ "What Causes Lightning and Thunder?". NOAA. 2022.
  5. ↑ "thunder". Oxford English Dictionary (2 ed.). Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. 1989.
  6. ↑ Matasovic, Ranko. Etymological Dictionary of Proto Celtic. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. 2009. p. 384. ISBN   978-90-04-17336-1
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Vavrek, R. J.; Kithil, R.; Holle, R. L.; Allsopp, J.; Cooper, M. A. (17 July 2006) [4 April 2006]. "Section 6.1.8: The Science of Thunder". National Lightning Safety Institute. Archived from the original on 17 July 2006. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 Heidorn, K. C. (1999). Thunder: Voice of the heavens. Retrieved from http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/elements/thunder1.htm
  9. 1 2 Rakov, Vladimir A.; Uman, Martin A. (2007). Lightning: Physics and Effects. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. p. 378. ISBN   978-0-521-03541-5.,
  10. ↑ Cooray, Vernon (2003). The lightning flash . London: Institution of Electrical Engineers. pp.  163–164. ISBN   978-0-85296-780-5.
  11. ↑ "Thunder". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 2008-06-07. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
  12. ↑ "Ultimate Sound Pressure Level Decibel Table" . Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  13. ↑ MacGorman, Donald R.; Rust, W. David (1998). The Electrical Nature of Storms. Oxford University Press. pp. 102–104. ISBN   978-0195073379. Archived from the original on 2014-06-28. Retrieved 2012-09-06.
  14. ↑ P Graneau (1989). "The cause of thunder". J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 22 (8): 1083–1094. Bibcode:1989JPhD...22.1083G. doi:10.1088/0022-3727/22/8/012. S2CID   250836715.
  15. ↑ Fish, Raymond M (2021). "Thermal and mechanical shock wave injury". In Nabours, Robert E (ed.). Electrical injuries: engineering, medical, and legal aspects. Tucson, AZ: Lawyers & Judges Publishing. p.  220. ISBN   978-1-930056-71-8.
  16. ↑ "Thunder Facts". Fast Facts for Kids. 2022.
  17. ↑ Dean A. Pollet and Micheal M. Kordich (2013-04-08). "User's guide for the Sound Intensity Prediction System (SIPS) as installed at the Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division (Naveodtechdiv)" (PDF). Systems Department February 2000. dtic.mil. Archived from the original on April 8, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Lightning Types". NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory. 2022.
  19. ↑ Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 72nd edition, special student edition. Boca Raton: The Chemical Rubber Co. 1991. p. 14.36. ISBN   978-0-8493-0486-6.
  20. ↑ "Understanding Lightning: Thunder". National Weather Service. 2022.
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