Why do we see the lighting before we hear thunder?

The light and sound of a thunderstorm have to travel to our eyes and ears. Light travels very fast. It goes about 186,000 miles (300,000 km) in just one second. That is seven times the distance around the world in the time it takes you to say your name. But sound travels more slowly. In one second it goes only about a fifth of a mile. That is about as long as four football fields laid end to end. Since light travels faster than sound, we usually see light­ning before we hear thunder. Only if the lightning strikes very close do we sense both at almost the same instant.