How To Calculate How Far Away Lightning Strikes

Eventually we'll get some nasty t-storms this season around the Quad Cities...it's inevitable!  And those storms will pack damaging winds, hail and a lot of heavy rain.  Something else they'll be sure to spread our way - thunder and lightning (not in that order though!) 

A few things to remember - if you can hear thunder you are close enough to the storm to be struck by lightning so you need to head inside.  And why does some thunder sound so muich louder than other claps of thunder?  The most important thing is how far away the lightning struck...the closer the bolt the quicker you hear the sound and generally the louder it is! 

Here's a general rule of thumb from the National Weather Service to figure out how close lightning strikes:

"To estimate the distance between you and a lightning flash, use the "Flash to Bang" method: If you observe lightning, count the number of seconds until you hear thunder. Divide the number of seconds by five to get the distance in miles."

In other words:

If Thunder is heard	The Lightning is...
5 seconds after a Flash	1 mile away
10 seconds after a Flash	2 miles away
15 seconds after a Flash	3 miles away
20 seconds after a Flash	4 miles away
25 seconds after a Flash	5 miles away
30 seconds after a Flash	6 miles away
35 seconds after a Flash	7 miles away
40 seconds after a Flash	8 miles away

This info will come in handy for Wednesday's Weather Trivia question on CBS4!  And here's a link to the info from the NWS: Click Here