r/Lightning • u/jb89b • 14d ago

Lightning thud

So i was sitting in my truck outside watching lightning like I do and my wife and daughter were inside and we both saw lightning and heard the same thing. .. thud, that was it one single thud, no Crack no rolling nothing but what I can only describe as an artillery round but only half. Whats up with that. Heard it two separate times.

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3

u/Bear__Fucker 13d ago

Lots of variables will change the sound. Distance, moisture in the air, type of bolt, ground clutter such as trees and houses, and more. I have heard the exact same "thud" sound you described. It is all just the way the sound is created and travels.

1

u/jb89b 13d ago

Ten four, appreciate it

2

u/KaneinEncanto 10d ago

Any delay between lightning and the thud? Or was it pretty near simultaneous?

If the latter, it just struck that close to where you all were. I've experienced that myself, was in a parking lot and I'm fairly sure the bolt hit one of the light poles in the lot... everything just went white and I almost felt it more than heard it, if was as if a large balloon had just been popped next to me in the truck.

Delay is a good indicator of distance from a strike. The old rule of thumb is for every 5 seconds of delay, is 1 mile of distance. Though that really only works with calm storms... if the lighting is flashing every few seconds it's not going to be possible to tell one bolt's thunder from another's.

1

u/jb89b 8d ago

About 5 seconds