This vastly reaching, branching flash over west Texas—a few inches thick and many miles long—very briefly but instantly heated the air in its entire channel to a roughly 50,000-degree (F) plasma. That explosive condition created the loud, bumpy, rumbling and rolling sound wave we know as thunder. Imagine sticks of dynamite daisy-chained together in a wiggly pattern for miles, but set off essentially all at once. Except, this is much more beautiful and brilliant!