Dear Tom,
During a big thunderstorm in May, I and my family heard a distinct "pop" or
"click" that was instantaneously followed by a tremendous crash of thunder.
Lightning struck a tree only a hundred feet from the house. What was that
clicking noise?
Richard Johnson, Chicago
Dear Richard,
Lightning expert Ron Holle of Vaisala Inc. of Tucson Ariz., tells us any
source of such a sound requires being within a few hundred yards of the
ground strike point.
Holle explains that "The clicks may have been static discharge from upward
streamers from the house, the ground, or other nearby objects; these are
released just when a flash strikes the Earth's surface. Or, there may have
been a buildup of static charge on parts of the house just before the
strike. Sometimes on (AM) radios, you can hear this buildup as a whine or
series of clicks until the flash strikes the ground."
During a big thunderstorm in May, I and my family heard a distinct "pop" or
"click" that was instantaneously followed by a tremendous crash of thunder.
Lightning struck a tree only a hundred feet from the house. What was that
clicking noise?
Richard Johnson, Chicago
Dear Richard,
Lightning expert Ron Holle of Vaisala Inc. of Tucson Ariz., tells us any
source of such a sound requires being within a few hundred yards of the
ground strike point.
Holle explains that "The clicks may have been static discharge from upward
streamers from the house, the ground, or other nearby objects; these are
released just when a flash strikes the Earth's surface. Or, there may have
been a buildup of static charge on parts of the house just before the
strike. Sometimes on (AM) radios, you can hear this buildup as a whine or
series of clicks until the flash strikes the ground."
