Some thunderstorm questions?

Question

When they say "the calm before the storm," what does this mean exactly...is it true? Because I stepped outside earlier, as there was a storm approaching, and it was dead calm. I was wondering if that was the 'calm before the storm?' Also, why does thunder 'rumble' when its just a flash of lightning?

Answer 1

First off,

   Yes. That is why it's known as, "calm before the storm" since birds fly off, people are inside, dogs are inside, sqirels are in their homes, yada yada yada.

Secondly, think of it this way with the lightning...

    you know how sometimes, you can make something, like your brush, or a pencil, swing really fast in the air, so fast, it makes a "whish" kind of noise? WELL, that's pretty much the same thing with lightning. It's so powerful, that, when it strikes, because of the negative electrons shoot across to the positive electrons, (making lightning)- anyways, lightning goes through the air, and cuts through it,  faster than the sound can catch up. When you DO hear the sound, you hear the parted air, in which the lightning has cut through, fill back up, or once again meet, clashing, and causing the rumbling.

     The reason you don't hear it so quickly, even with sound trying to catch up, may also be the distance from the lightning, you are.

count the secconds, then divide it by 5... ThT'S HOW MANY MILES AWAY YOU ARE FROM THE STRM.

Answer 2

The calm before the storm is what some people may report right before a tornado may hit.  The reason for this is because tornadoes form toward the middle and back of a supercell.  The tornado would be after the main rain and hail shaft and after any wind. Therefor there may be a brief "calm" before a tornado if one were on the ground. Thunder occurs after lightning rapidly heating the air.

Answer 3

I don't know about the calm before the storm... but I can help with the lightning.  Lightning isn't just a flash of light, it's an electric arc of about a billion volts, which instantly heats the air around it up to over 50,000°F.  This instant heating causes the air to expand so quickly, it's basically an explosion, which is what you hear as thunder.

Answer 4

the calm before the storm means it is calm errie and the wind is cool and weak. thunder is caused because the lightning is hotter than the sun and it almost melts a wall around it then the air super heats and expands then it breaks the wall and booms out at speeds of over 740 mph