tonnerre

le tonnerre (FR N-M) thunder, the resultant, accompanying noise of lightning during a storm, heard shortly after the flash of lightning, how long after depending on the distance of the lightning from the observer; noises reminiscent of thunder; exclamatory word; deafening noise. When lightning passes through air, electrical energy heats the air greatly (+30,000°C) and the air expands and contracts rapidly, creating an explosion with the characteristic boom of thunder as the result. Zeus…