If you want to know how far away lightning is from you, here's how to figure it out.

There's one thing I know for sure about living in Rockford, Illinois. We are going to always get crazy weather. No matter what time of year. It's summer so that means hot and sweaty temperatures. That will bring storms.

I'm sure at some point in your life, you were outside for an event and saw dark clouds and rain in the distance. You might have even heard some thunder. That means the dreaded lightning can't be too far off. Getting a little wet isn't a problem. It's that electric stuff that gets dangerous.

Nobody wants to stop a fun outdoor activity before it's over, so when the bad weather is on the way. The first thing we do is check the app on our phone to find out how much time we have before it's time to make a mad dash to shelter.

When I hear thunder, I immediately look for lightning. Sometimes, it's delayed and takes a few seconds to hit the sky. I always wondered why that is.

Well, if you're starting to wonder where I going with all of this thunderstorm talk, don't worry I have a method to my madness.

What if I told you, there's a way to find out how far away that lightning really is? I know it sounds complicated and loaded with science and math. Don't worry, it isn't. In fact, it's pretty darn simple.

According to howstuffworks.com,

"So sound travels 1 kilometer in roughly 3 seconds and 1 mile in roughly 5 seconds. When you see the flash of a lightning bolt, you can start counting seconds and then divide to see how far away the lightning struck. If it takes 10 seconds for the thunder to roll in, the lightning struck about 2 miles or 3 kilometers away."

Don't worry, if you left your phone in your car. I won't make fun of you for counting on your fingers.


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