Phillip's Weather Trivia: Which Happens First: Lightning Or Thunder?

• News
• News Video
• First Alert Weather
• First Alert Investigates
• First Alert Desk
• Watch Live
• Submit Your Pictures
• Community Calendar

• News
  • ECU
  • Education
  • ENC At Three
  • Court
  • Crime
  • International
  • Local
  • National
  • Pets
  • Politics
  • Elections
  • Regional
  • State
  • Crimestoppers
  • Download the News App
• Livestream
• First Alert Weather
  • First Alert Weather Blog
  • Radar
  • Maps
  • Hurricane Guide
  • Closings & Delays
  • Why First Alert?
  • Cams
• First Alert Investigates
• Sports
  • ACC
  • ECU Sports
  • Sports Spotlight
  • High School
  • Game of the Week
  • EndZone
  • Scores
• Health
• Cams
• Politics
  • Presidential Election Map
  • North Carolina Interactive Results
• Marketplace
  • Business Break
  • Buy Carolina First
  • Eastern Carolina Open for Business
• Contests
• Lottery Results
• Contact Us
  • Meet the Team
  • Jobs
  • My WITN 7.2
  • MeTV WITN 7.3
  • Start TV WITN 7.4
  • H&I WITN 7.5
  • Oxygen WITN 7.7
  • Radio Partners
• Download Our Apps
• Telemundo ENC
• Military Greetings
• Home for the Holidays
• ENC Cares
• We the People
• Class of 2025
• News Video
• Teacher of the Week
• Community Calendar
• Hometown Hero
  • Click here to nominate your local hometown hero!
• Newsletter
• CMN Telethon
• TV Listings
• Carolina Camera: Submit Photos and Videos
• NextGen TV
• Zeam - News Streams
• Circle Country
• Gray DC Bureau
• PowerNation
• InvestigateTV
• Watching Your Wallet
• Digital Marketing
• Gray AI Policy

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - Spring is nearly here! We have already had 4 days in the 80s in Eastern NC in 2022. Warmer air means thunderstorms will be forming before you know it. In a thunderstorm, which happens first, thunder or lightning?

It can be hard to tell which came first during a storm since there can be nearly constant lightning and thunder, however one definitely happens before the other. Think it over and make a selection. See below to see if you are correct.

Lightning can be 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun. A bolt of lightning heats the up the narrow column of air it goes through like an explosion. The rapid heating then rapid cooling of the air column, produces a sound wave. That sound wave is thunder. So, lightning happens first and it causes thunder.

The sound of thunder can tell you whether the lightning struck the ground near you or not. When you hear the cracking sound before a loud boom, then the lightning was likely a cloud to ground strike (or ground to cloud). Thunder that just rumbles on and on is often a cloud to cloud strike. - Phillip Williams

Copyright 2022 WITN. All rights reserved.

Most Read

Man found dead in his vehicle from gunshot wounds, officials say

NC Congressmen comment on U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Maduro

Three injured in Plymouth shooting, investigation underway

“I just couldn’t believe it”: Greenville immigrant from Venezuela reacts to President Maduro’s capture

State reports 39 total flu deaths this season

UPDATE: Missing Carteret County teen found

US plans to ‘run’ Venezuela, tap its oil reserves, Trump says, after operation to oust Maduro

Victims in deadly Pitt County New Year’s Day shooting identified

Latest News

Slight improvement in the drought for Eastern NC

Total snowfall amounts in Eastern NC

Flurries transition to patchy black ice

Watch for pockets of fog through the morning hours

Watch for freezing fog and dense fog through noon

Melissa is no longer being tracked

Drought conditions continue to show no change

Drought Update: No change to the drought this week