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>I note Brian's comment regarding the sudden change in precipitation
>intensity associated with nearby strikes/thunder claps. I also have
noticed
>this, I think, and am curious to know 1) if anyone has ever tried to
>verify this phenomenon (i.e. show that it is a real effect, not just the
>effect of "selective memory" where we note and remember the cases where
the
>rain increases just after a strike, but do not note or forget the cases
>where it doesn't), and 2) if anyone has found a reason for the effect, or
has
>themselves an idea about it.
I sure am glad that somebody else noticed this effect. I don't have much
to add to the technical discussion on the subject, but would insist that
it
is a real effect and not just "selective memory". Midwestern U.S.
thunderstorms entering western Michigan would progress predictably. They
begin with lightning without thunder. The thunder kicks in at around 3
miles distance (or 15 seconds between flash and sound). The frequency of
the strikes increases for the next fifteen or so minutes, but the rain
wouldn't get going beyond a drizzle until the crescendo of a strike a
"couple seconds" away. That powerful strike would act like a signal for
the real downpour to begin.
The simplest explanation is just that this was the time when the heart of
the storm arrived. But the coincidence of the first loud thunder with the
downpour is just too uncanny.
Tom Polakis
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