Does the lightning happen before the thunder? ,

Actually the thunder and the lightning happen at the same second. Sometimes, when the storm is right overhead, we see the flash and hear the roar almost together. then the storm is further away, we see the flash several seconds before we hear the roar.

This is because the roar is brought to us with the speed of sound and the flash is brought to us on the speed of light. And there is a great difference.

Sound travels through the air at about 1,100 feet a second. Light travels at about 186,000 miles a second. Quite a difference. In the storm the light is traveling almost a million times faster than the sound, Even in the few miles of a storm area, this can make quite a difference, The lightning can reach our eyes several seconds before the thunder, which started at the same moment, can reach our ears.