Why Lightning Cracks and Thunder Rumbles?

Daniel assumes thunder is the sound of clouds crashing together. It isn't. Thunder is the sound of air being ripped apart and snapping back. Lightning superheats the air in its channel to around 30,000 degrees Celsius -- five times hotter than the surface of the sun -- in a fraction of a second. The air explodes outward so fast it creates a shockwave. That shockwave is thunder. The lightning itself is almost silent. The air around it is what screams. This episode explains why close lightning cracks and distant lightning rumbles, why you always see the flash before you hear the sound, and how to use the gap between them to measure exactly how far away a storm is. What you will find in this episode: What actually causes thunder -- and why it has nothing to do with clouds Why lightning is five times hotter than the surface of the sun Why thunder rumbles instead of making one single bang Why close lightning cracks and distant lightning sounds completely different How to measure the distance of a storm using only your ears and three seconds Mom's closing line about what every thunderstorm actually is Short, surprising, and the kind of episode that makes every storm feel completely different. Listen, wonder, and learn. Find us @smilewithDaniel everywhere.