We have all come to fear and respect thunderstorms. Probably the one element that visibly strikes fear in pilots and passengers alike is the lightning associated with thunderstorms. When not in IMC, it’s easy to see where the lightning is emanating from, and if you are a safe distance away. However, once in the clouds, you can only approximately discern azimuth but not how close it may be. You can approximate the distance by counting the seconds between the visible flash and the clap of thunder and divide by five to get the distance in miles. Note that most lightning occurs within the clouds and not cloud-to-ground.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/flight-safety/risk-management/dont-fear-the-light-respect-it