Are lightning and thunder the same thing?
Lightning is a discharge of electricity. A single stroke of lightning can heat the air around it to 30,000°C (54,000°F)! This extreme heating causes the air to expand explosively fast. The expansion creates a shock wave that turns into a booming sound wave, known as thunder.
Which is more dangerous lightning or thunder?
Are thunderstorms dangerous? Thunder cannot hurt anybody (except by the sound-pressure shock if the lightning hits very close), and the risk of being struck by lightning is far less than that of being killed in a car crash. Most lightning occurs as cloud flashes, which are harmless on the ground.
Can thunder eliminate you?
A direct hit by a bolt of lightning kills about 50 people per year. Those who survive a lightning strike – with temperatures that can heat the surrounding air to 50,000 Fahrenheit – often suffer permanent injuries to the brain, heart or other parts of the body.
Is Thunder the sound of lightning?
Thunder is the sound caused by a nearby flash of lightning and can be heard for a distance of only about 10 miles from the lightning strike. Thunder is created when lightning passes through the air. The lightning discharge heats the air rapidly and causes it to expand.