New Yorkers were frightened by an incredibly loud clap of thunder: what caused it

The "city that never sleeps" can blame Mother Nature for not sleeping. On Monday morning, several people in New York reported being roused from their beds by unusually loud thunder. New York Post.

“It woke me up. It was very loud, the rumbles lasted much longer than usual, FOX Weather meteorologist Greg Diamond said. The loudest part of the thunderstorm lasted about 2-4 seconds. And instead of the usual single loud clap of thunder, it sounded like several loud explosions.

According to Vaisala's Chris Wagasky, five cloud-to-ground lightning strikes were recorded in the Manhattan area. One of them hit the roof of the World Trade Center. There is nothing new in this. Wagaski reports that the WTC is struck by lightning about 109 times a year on average.

The reason for the figuratively expressed “supercharged” thunder was the temperature inversion observed over New York. For those who were on the ground, the temperature was 10 degrees Celsius. But at an altitude of about 275 meters, the temperature rose to 11 degrees, instead of the usual cooling.

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According to FOX Weather meteorologist and weather data scientist Shane Brown, this inversion could trap sound waves near the surface.

“Sound propagation can vary depending on the temperature characteristics of the atmosphere near the point of origin,” Brown said. – In an environment where there is a shallow layer of cold air on the surface, covered by warmer air on top, it is possible to “stop” sound waves in a sense from refracting upwards. This results in sound waves that tend to dissipate more slowly and can travel farther.” That can wake up even the most sound sleepers among the hustle and bustle of Manhattan.