Terms of Use
Last updated August 2, 2026
Please read this before using Count the Thunder. By using the site you agree to these terms. If you do not agree with them, do not use the site.
1. What this site is, and what it is not
Count the Thunder (the “Site”) is a free, informational web page about thunderstorms, operated by Rock Solid Creative Studios (“we”, “us”).
The Site is not a weather service and is not an emergency service. It does not receive live weather data, it does not know your location, and it cannot tell you whether you are safe. It does not detect, predict, or warn about lightning, tornadoes, hail, wind, flooding, or any other hazard.
The Site is general information, not a substitute for official warnings. Where it describes what to do in severe weather, it is summarizing widely published public-safety guidance. It is not personalized advice, it cannot see your situation, and it is not a substitute for the instructions of the National Weather Service or your local emergency officials. Nothing on it should ever be treated as confirmation that you are safe.
Official warnings come from the National Weather Service and your local emergency officials, not from us. For real watches and warnings, go to weather.gov and follow the instructions of your local authorities. Where their guidance and this Site ever differ, follow theirs.
2. The flash-to-thunder calculator
The Site includes a tool that measures the time between two taps and converts it to an approximate distance using the common rule of five seconds per mile.
The result is a rough estimate and nothing more. Its accuracy is limited by, among other things: the speed of sound varying with air temperature, humidity and altitude; your own reaction time at both taps; the length of a lightning channel, which can be several miles, so that the “distance” is at best the distance to its nearest point; your device's timing; and whether the thunder you heard belongs to the flash you saw.
No output of the tool is an all-clear. No number, message, or absence of a message from the tool means it is safe to go outside, to remain outside, or to stop taking shelter. If you can hear thunder at all, you are within range of a strike. Lightning can reach ten miles or more from the edge of the rain, and can strike from a sky that looks clear.
3. Assumption of risk
Weather is dangerous and decisions taken during severe weather carry real risk of injury and death. You use the Site, and act or refrain from acting on anything you read here, entirely at your own risk. You are solely responsible for your own safety and for the safety of anyone in your care, and for obtaining and following official warnings and emergency instructions from qualified authorities.
4. No warranty
THE SITE AND ALL CONTENT, TOOLS, AND MATERIALS ON IT ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE”, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, ACCURACY, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.
WITHOUT LIMITING THE ABOVE, WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SITE OR ANY INFORMATION ON IT IS ACCURATE, COMPLETE, CURRENT, RELIABLE, OR SUITABLE FOR ANY PURPOSE, OR THAT THE SITE WILL BE AVAILABLE, UNINTERRUPTED, OR ERROR-FREE.
5. Limitation of liability
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, GOODWILL, OR FOR PERSONAL INJURY, PROPERTY DAMAGE, OR DEATH, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO YOUR USE OF, OR INABILITY TO USE, THE SITE, WHETHER BASED IN CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), STRICT LIABILITY, OR ANY OTHER THEORY, EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, OUR TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SITE WILL NOT EXCEED ONE HUNDRED US DOLLARS (US $100).
Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain warranties or liabilities. Where that is the case, the exclusions and limitations above apply to the greatest extent permitted, and nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot lawfully be limited.
6. Not medical advice
The Site discusses fear of storms, including a condition commonly called astraphobia, and describes what is generally understood about how such fears respond to professional treatment. This is general information, not medical or psychological advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and no practitioner–patient relationship is created by your use of the Site. It is not a substitute for care from a qualified professional. If you are concerned about your health or someone else's, speak to a doctor or therapist. If someone is in immediate danger, call emergency services.
7. Third parties and trademarks
The Site is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or in any way officially connected with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Weather Service, the American Red Cross, or any government agency or emergency organization. Where such organizations are named, it is as a reference to publicly available guidance and is our own characterization of it. All trademarks, service marks, seals, and emblems remain the property of their respective owners. We display no such logos, seals, or emblems on the Site.
The Site links to third-party sites. We do not control them and are not responsible for their content or availability.
8. Acceptable use
You may read, print, and share the Site for personal, non-commercial use. Do not attempt to interfere with the Site, misuse it, or present it as an official or authoritative source of weather warnings.
9. Changes
We may update these terms. The date at the top shows when they last changed. Continuing to use the Site after a change means you accept the updated terms.
10. Governing law and venue
These terms and any dispute arising out of or relating to them or to the Site are governed by the laws of the State of Michigan, United States, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. You and we agree that the exclusive venue for any such dispute is the state or federal courts located in the State of Michigan, and each of us consents to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.
11. Privacy notice
The short version: the Site is built to collect as little as possible.
Your storm plan stays on your device
Anything you type into the plan is saved in your own browser using
localStorage. It is never transmitted to us or to anyone else, we
cannot see it, and it is not backed up anywhere. Clearing your browser data
erases it. Use the Clear button to remove it yourself.
Your plan will probably hold information about other people — a neighbor who would not hear a warning, a relative's phone number, where a child would be. That is deliberate; a plan is not much use without it. It is also the reason the plan never leaves your device: we would rather not be holding somebody else's details, and neither should a server. Bear in mind that a printed copy is a paper record of the same information, so keep it where you would keep anything else with a neighbor's or a relative's details on it.
No cookies, no analytics, no tracking
The Site sets no cookies, runs no analytics script, embeds no third-party content, and does not track you across sites. We see only the ordinary, aggregate request counts that any web host records. We do not sell, rent, or share personal information, because we do not collect it.
The feedback address
If you email feedback@countthethunder.com, we receive whatever you choose to put in that email — at minimum your email address and your message. We use it only to read and reply to your feedback and to improve the Site. We do not add you to any mailing list and we do not share it. We keep messages only as long as they are useful, and delete them when they are not. You can ask us to delete your message by replying to it.
Please do not send us personal or sensitive information, and do not send us your storm plan or your address. There is no reason for us to have it.
Children
Parts of the Site are written so that a child can read them, and we hope children do. But the feedback address is not for children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13. If you are under 13, please ask a parent or guardian to write to us instead of writing yourself. If you believe a child under 13 has sent us personal information, email us and we will delete it.
Your choices
Because we hold nothing beyond emails you choose to send, the simplest way to keep your information private is not to send it. If you have emailed us and want that message removed, ask and we will remove it.
12. Contact
Count the Thunder is operated by Rock Solid Creative Studios. Questions about these terms, or about anything above, can go to feedback@countthethunder.com.