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Sound Distance Calculator

Distance to a sound source from the delay between seeing and hearing it — lightning, fireworks or echoes.

Enter values

Results update as you type.

Result

Distance

1.717 km

Metres
1,717
Miles
1.07
Speed of sound at this temperature
343.4 m/s

About the Sound Distance Calculator

Distance to a sound source from the delay between seeing and hearing it — lightning, fireworks or echoes.

Also known as: lightning distance calculator, how far is the storm, speed of sound distance, thunder distance.

How to use this calculator

  1. Enter delay between flash and sound, air temperature.
  2. The result updates instantly as you type — press Calculate (or Enter) at any time.
  3. Review the breakdown shown under the main result.
  4. Use Copy result or Share to save the answer or send a link with your inputs.

Formula

distance = speed of sound × delay, c ≈ 331.3 + 0.606 × T(°C)

Worked example

Using the values pre-filled in the calculator above:

  • Delay between flash and sound = 5 s
  • Air temperature = 20 °C

the calculator returns:

  • Distance: 1.717 km
  • Metres: 1,717
  • Miles: 1.07
  • Speed of sound at this temperature: 343.4 m/s