NATURAL SCIENCE : WHAT CAUSES THUNDER

Thunder is the result of lightning – so any time you can hear it, you should be in a shelter, such as a house or car. A bolt of lightning heats the air around it to 27 700°C. As the lightning flashes, the hot air instantly expands in every direction, causing a shock wave: thunder. If you’re close to the lightning, you’ll hear a loud and sharp crack. Farther away, it’s more of a rumble, as the sound travels and bounces off of the ground, buildings and atmosphere. While you can see lightning from as far as 160 km away, thunder travels only 16–24 km before dissipating.