Thunderstorm Sounds

How the Thunder Works

The Thunder slider plays one of seven recorded rolls of thunder about every half minute, at random, and places each one a little to the left or right. We filtered the sharp crack off every roll, so the thunder rumbles rather than cracks. Because the timing is random, the storm never falls into a pattern.

Thunderstorm Sounds for Sleeping

1. Choose Storm for sleeping. It keeps the thunder low and turns the tone down.
2. If a rumble ever wakes you, lower the Thunder slider or turn it off and keep the rain.
3. Set the timer to 60 minutes or 8 hours. The storm fades out over the last two minutes.

Heavy Thunderstorm Sounds

The Heavy storm preset turns everything up: the storm, rain in the foreground, gusts of wind and louder thunder. For rain and thunder at a window, try Storm at the window.

Where the Storm Was Recorded

• A thunderstorm settling over a small town. "Approaching thunderstorm in small town" by Garuda1982, CC0 public domain.
• Rain recorded from a window in Berlin. "Rain_01" by vincefred, CC0 public domain.
• Gentle rain on an indoor window. "RAIN on glass window" by nicoproson, CC0 public domain.
• Wind moving through trees at night. "Ambient Wind (Real Wind)" by UnderlinedDesigns, CC0 public domain.
• Rain and a thunderclap through an open window. "Thunder 2" by davidhrivnak, CC0 public domain.
• The first monsoon rain of the year. "Rain and thunder sound (raw)" by deep_, CC0 public domain.
• An outdoor storm with thunder rolling almost without a break. "Thunder Storm Nonstop Thunder" by hargissssound, CC0 public domain.

We cut each recording into a loop that joins up without a seam and balanced the volumes so the sliders match. Each loop starts at a random point, so a mix of several layers doesn't repeat in step.

FAQs

Does the thunderstorm loop?

The rain and wind are 90-second recordings, joined so you can't hear the seam. The thunder never loops: each roll is picked and timed at random.

How often does it thunder?

At random, roughly every half a minute to a minute. Each roll is picked from seven recordings and placed a little left or right, so the storm never repeats in step.

How much data does it use?

About 3 to 5 MB for the default mix, downloaded once per visit.