Phenomenal Thunder from large Lightning Discharge (Storm #0011)

Thunderstorm #0011, 9th May 1998, Macclesfield, Cheshire. UK
A phenomenal thunder produced by an unusually high-amp discharge (with a piece of C-C captured on camera) which most likely extended from upper-level regions (anvil) judging from the duration of the thunder. The thunder took 8 seconds to reach the camera (so lightning was 1.6 miles away) and had 30 seconds duration (roughly 6 miles long), with unusually high amplitude thunder for a lightning strike with this distance. It was most probably a positive flash which may have connected with the ground out of view of the camera, and extended into the higher regions of the storm. There is a chance it may have been a large cloud to cloud lightning as these have also been observed to give sharp thunders. Turn the volume up for full effect.... car alarms and everything.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Thunderstorm
• Thunder
• Lightning
• Strike
• Bolt
• Storm
• Blitze
• Unwetter
• Positive Flash
• Cloud to Ground
• Bang
• Crash
• Loud
• Weather
• Rain
• severe

[poopsyproductions]

well, the closer a lightning strike the more it sounds like a crack. But this one seemed more powerful but nonetheless can't say myself it was positive or not.

[ravenstormcouk]

well no-one can really, unless you were measuring it. The thunder seemed to last for 20-30 seconds suggesting the shear radial area of the lightning, and coupled with the explosiveness suggests upper-cloud origins, hence +ve. But yeah, you're right, it may not have been. -ve C-C tends to be really weak and crackley, despite the distance away.

[JVCULATR]

That was seriously loud. It's that metallic sound that is seriously good! Great you've caught it on film man! Is that a car alarm you can hear after?

[ravenstormcouk]

several car alarms

[emixam101]

wow sick !!!!

[Koaslice191]

BLOODY HELL!

[mikedwn]

To clarify: Rolls and rumbles from lightning channels do not give polarity, neither for cracks or whips. The higher the input the lower the pitch it produces. Those cracks heard on the video purely exhibit that the strike was close to the observer. . Rumbles and rolls of thunder are the effects of segments of the channel being expanded, and the resultant noise reaches a person and we hear it as rumbles or rolls. The observer's location to the visible lightning channel gives different sounds

[SimoWill75]

@mikedwn

Sorry but have to disagree with you. Telling the diff between CG and CC.. yes you are right.. you can't.

But the huge amounts of power needed for a 'positive' AG (Anvil-Ground) strike to occur and the extreme long length of the strike lead to much more percussive thunder developing than with the usual short relatively low powered CG strike.

Was this strike 'positive' ? No idea as I wasn't there to compare to the rest of the storm. wikipediadotorg/wiki/Lightning­#Positive_lightning

[MultiKenny64]

try to believe would would have happended with your ears if the lighting would have been closer oO

[mikedwn]

The sound of thunder represents nothing to do with the type of strike it was. Thunder is thunder whether it is from IC, Cg or whatever. The length of the thunder boom etc does tell you how long the lightning channel would have been and your positioning to the strike however. So saying it's a positive strike is just incorrect - even saying it's a negative strike is incorrect just by the thunder.

[Envergure]

@LonelyLonelyLoner Count the seconds between the flash and the boom, and multiply by the speed of sound. It's 1 km for every three seconds, or one mile for every five seconds.

[LonelyLonelyLoner]

how do u measure the distance of a thunder??

[boundaryzero]

im positive thats positive....

[TheTRancel0ver]

Loud pulsive  thunderwave!!