Lighting doesn't only strike under the thunderstorm, it can strike ahead of the storm
or behind it when the storm has seemingly passed. This is called a bolt from the blue. For this reason it is best to wait 30 minutes after the last lightning strike before
heading outdoors.
Lighting can travel 10 to 12 miles from the thunderstorm and, depending on the noise
around you, the sound of thunder can be heard up to a distance of 10 miles. This means
if you hear thunder you are most likely within striking distance! "When thunder roars,
go indoors".
You can calculate the distance of the between yourself and lighting. If you count
the number of second between the flash of lightning and the sound of thunder, and
then divide by 5, you'll get the distance in miles to the lightning: 15 seconds =
3 miles, 5 seconds = 1 mile, 0 second = very close.
