July 14, 2020 at 5:39 p.m.

Afternoon thunder was welcome noise


By Diana Dolecki-

Ah, thunder, wonderful thunder.

Water is falling out of the sky as I write. A low rumbling is in the background.

I love thunder. All that raw power embodied in a deep rumble is like the earth putting its nonexistent arms around me and whispering that the universe is unfolding as it should no matter how much it feels like everything is falling apart. 

My mother always told me that thunder was the sound of the angels bowling. I used to think it was the sound of the clouds bumping together. The dictionary tells me that thunder is caused by the sudden expansion of air in the path of an electrical discharge. That discharge is better known as lightning.

Did you know that the long, low rumble is called brontide? I didn’t. Brontide sounds like some kind of dinosaur. This is not to be confused with a British rock band of the same name which I hadn’t heard of until now. It never occurred to me that there was such a thing as a study of thunder. That is called brontology. I am curious as to how one studies thunder. It’s not like it can be captured and put through a whole load of tests. 

I can see a future employer reading a resume. “Hmmm. I see you have a degree in brontology. And how does this relate to our company?” 

Thunder can be used as a means to figure out how far away lightning is. It takes the sound of thunder about five seconds to travel a mile. If you count the number of seconds between the flash of lightning and the rumble of thunder you should be able to estimate how far away the lightning is. I have never had any luck with this.

I calculate the distance by how loud the noise is. If it makes me jump and I see a tree on fire in the yard then the storm is too close for comfort. That is how my mom lost a cottonwood tree. If a sheet of light on the horizon is producing flashes but no sound then the event is too far away to worry about.

Our cat has her own opinion of thunder. To her, it is a sign that she should go hide somewhere. She firmly believes in that old saying of out of sight out of mind. 

I also found a site that claims that the name of the Norse god, Thor, comes from the Norse word for thunder. I always thought it was the other way around. Thor is in charge of thunder, lightning, storms, trees, strength and the protection of mankind, and fertility. Fertility? I never would have guessed that. The hammer-wielding Thor is not to be confused with the Yorkie dog Thor that lives with my cousin and loves ice cream.

Like any good storm, today’s rain ended without causing much, if any, damage. The sun is out and the thunder has gone on to other places. The reprieve is over and it’s time to get back to the never-ending house and yard work.

Mark Twain once said, “Thunder is good, thunder is impressive, but it is lightning that does all the work.”

Clearly, he wasn’t as enamored with thunder as I am. That’s OK.

He is entitled to his opinion, as I am.
PORTLAND WEATHER

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