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Thunder
Thunder.mp3
Thunder.mp4
Thunder-Best-Of.mp3
Thunder-Best-Of.mp4
Thunder-intro.mp3
[Intro]
Wonder…
… what causes rolling thunder?
[Verse 1]
Superheats the air
(Rapid expansion)
To here from there
(To hear the action)
[Bridge]
Lightning a mile long
(Thunder gods’ song)
[Chorus]
Say hello to echo (echo)
Then say hey to delay (delay)
To hear her rumbling
Is quite humbling
[Verse 2]
Atmospheric layering
(Reaction to refraction)
Seriously sound bending
(And mind melding)
[Bridge]
Lightning a mile long
(Thunder gods’ song)
[Chorus]
Say hello to echo (echo)
Then say hey to delay (delay)
To hear her rumbling
Is quite humbling
[Outro]
Lightning a mile long
(Thunder gods’ song)
A SCIENCE NOTE
The physics of rolling thunder involves the way sound waves generated by lightning travel through the atmosphere. Unlike a single sharp clap of thunder, rolling thunder is a prolonged, rumbling sound that can last several seconds. Here’s how it works:
1. Source: Lightning’s Explosive Expansion
When lightning strikes, it superheats the air along its path to temperatures around 30,000°C (54,000°F).
This causes rapid expansion of air, creating a shock wave that we hear as thunder.
2. Thunder is Not a Point Sound
A lightning bolt can be several miles long, with branches stretching horizontally and vertically.
Each segment of the bolt generates sound, but because they’re at different distances and angles from the observer, their sound waves arrive at different times.
3. Rolling Thunder: Delay and Echo
The rumbling effect comes from:
Sound arriving at different times from different parts of the bolt.
Reflections and scattering off clouds, the ground, hills, and temperature layers.
Atmospheric layering, where changes in temperature and humidity bend sound (a phenomenon called refraction).
4. Distance Effect
The farther you are from the lightning strike, the more rolling the thunder will sound.
Close: a sharp “crack” or “clap”.
Far: a low-pitched, rolling rumble as sound waves spread and bounce through varying atmospheric conditions.
5. Frequency Filtering
Higher frequencies are absorbed more by the atmosphere, especially over long distances.
So distant thunder tends to be lower-pitched, which contributes to the rumbling sensation.
Summary: Rolling thunder is caused by the geometry of lightning, the delays in sound arrival from different parts of the bolt, and the complex way sound waves interact with the atmosphere as they travel to the listener.
From the album “Roll“
View all episodes
Thunder.mp3
Thunder.mp4
Thunder-Best-Of.mp3
Thunder-Best-Of.mp4
Thunder-intro.mp3
[Intro]
Wonder…
… what causes rolling thunder?
[Verse 1]
Superheats the air
(Rapid expansion)
To here from there
(To hear the action)
[Bridge]
Lightning a mile long
(Thunder gods’ song)
[Chorus]
Say hello to echo (echo)
Then say hey to delay (delay)
To hear her rumbling
Is quite humbling
[Verse 2]
Atmospheric layering
(Reaction to refraction)
Seriously sound bending
(And mind melding)
[Bridge]
Lightning a mile long
(Thunder gods’ song)
[Chorus]
Say hello to echo (echo)
Then say hey to delay (delay)
To hear her rumbling
Is quite humbling
[Outro]
Lightning a mile long
(Thunder gods’ song)
A SCIENCE NOTE
The physics of rolling thunder involves the way sound waves generated by lightning travel through the atmosphere. Unlike a single sharp clap of thunder, rolling thunder is a prolonged, rumbling sound that can last several seconds. Here’s how it works:
1. Source: Lightning’s Explosive Expansion
When lightning strikes, it superheats the air along its path to temperatures around 30,000°C (54,000°F).
This causes rapid expansion of air, creating a shock wave that we hear as thunder.
2. Thunder is Not a Point Sound
A lightning bolt can be several miles long, with branches stretching horizontally and vertically.
Each segment of the bolt generates sound, but because they’re at different distances and angles from the observer, their sound waves arrive at different times.
3. Rolling Thunder: Delay and Echo
The rumbling effect comes from:
Sound arriving at different times from different parts of the bolt.
Reflections and scattering off clouds, the ground, hills, and temperature layers.
Atmospheric layering, where changes in temperature and humidity bend sound (a phenomenon called refraction).
4. Distance Effect
The farther you are from the lightning strike, the more rolling the thunder will sound.
Close: a sharp “crack” or “clap”.
Far: a low-pitched, rolling rumble as sound waves spread and bounce through varying atmospheric conditions.
5. Frequency Filtering
Higher frequencies are absorbed more by the atmosphere, especially over long distances.
So distant thunder tends to be lower-pitched, which contributes to the rumbling sensation.
Summary: Rolling thunder is caused by the geometry of lightning, the delays in sound arrival from different parts of the bolt, and the complex way sound waves interact with the atmosphere as they travel to the listener.
From the album “Roll“