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Monthly Theme
Thunderstorms
 Thunderstorms are large, strong storms that usually include thunder and lightning. They are extremely common in New Hampshire on hot days during the summer. Although thunderstorms can be extremely dangerous, they provide a great opportunity to explore meteorology, ecology, physics, and chemistry with children.
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Sound Detectives – Measuring Distance of Storm
Use your senses to tell if a storm is in the area. With a stop watch, calculator (or quick math skills), and a quiet environment you can chart and track the movement of a storm.
You can track the progress of a thunderstorm by comparing the sound of thunder to the sight of lightning. Also, please note this activity should be done in a safe, indoor environment. It is dangerous to do this in an unprotected, outdoor area.
With a stopwatch handy, start timing once you’ve seen lightning. Keep a close watch on the sky. Stop the timer when you hear the thunder. Take the number of seconds and divide this by 5. This is the number of miles the thunderstorm is from your location. For example, you see lightning and start timing. You hear thunder in the sky 15 seconds later. 15 divided by 5 equals 3. This means the storm is 3 miles from where you are.
Wait for the next rumbling of thunder and do the same. Using mathematics guess if the storm is moving closer or farther away. Also note that multiple storms may be passing through the area. Lighting always comes before thunder, so if you hear thunder first you have missed a bolt.
Click on this Curious George link and view “Sounds Like” to learn more about being a Sound Detective.
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