Yes. Lightning Causes Thunder

A few weeks ago I was on the golf course and we could hear thunder getting closer. I told the rest of the foursome that it was time to go take shelter because lightning was moving in. The response that I got went something like this, “I haven’t seen any lightning – it’s just thundering.” I was a bit perplexed by this response. I explained that thunder (any thunder) is caused by lightning. Lightning heats the air and causes a shock wave that decays into thunder. And I further explained that dozens of people die each year from lightning. And many, many times that number are permanently disabled from lightning. One of the most common places that people get struck is on golf courses. To my surprise, the other 3 golfers I was with continued to play. And one went so far as to suggest that I was less than manly because I didn’t want to play through a thunderstorm. I’m quite sure that even superman is no match for a bolt of lightning. Check out the tree in the picture below. It would be difficult for anyone to survive a direct hit like this one.