Heavy rain and rolling thunder
The storm starts from the same rain as our rain sounds, played heavier: more drops, a stronger whoosh. On top of it, each 24 second loop holds two thunder claps. One is close: a short crack, then a deep roll that fades over a few seconds. The other is far away, lower and softer, more of a rumble than a crack. Both are made by your browser from a deep noise, not taken from a recording.
Some people love a storm because the thunder breaks the steady rain just enough to feel alive. For others, a sudden boom is the last thing they want at night. If you are in the second group, plain rain or brown noise gives you the same deep feeling without the surprise.
How far away is a storm?
Light reaches you almost instantly, but sound needs about 5 seconds to travel one mile (about 3 seconds per kilometer). Count the seconds between a flash and its thunder and divide by five to get the distance in miles. In our storm, the close clap sounds like a strike nearby, while the distant one sounds like a storm a few miles off: duller, because the air absorbs the high part of the sound over distance.
| Seconds between flash and thunder | Approximate distance |
|---|---|
| 5 s | About 1 mile (1.7 km) |
| 10 s | About 2 miles (3.3 km) |
| 15 s | About 3 miles (5 km) |
| 30 s | About 6 miles (10 km) |
Settings for a storm at night
Thunder has much more energy in the low end than rain, so keep the volume lower than you would for other sounds: 2 to 4 is usually enough. A small phone speaker will soften the deepest rumble; a larger speaker or headphones will let you feel it. Use a timer of 30 to 45 minutes to fall asleep, and the fade out will make the storm pass slowly instead of stopping. For studying, many people prefer the steadier rain, since thunder can catch your attention.