Why the thunder stays behind the rain
Rain leads and thunder sits under it, which is the order that makes a storm sound like it is passing a few streets over instead of sitting on your roof. The rain does most of the actual covering, because it is a broad hiss that softens the higher sounds in a room, like a television through a wall or someone on the stairs. Thunder is nearly all deep rumble and it arrives in bursts, so it adds weather and little else. Turn it up past the rain and the mix stops being a background and becomes a sound effect you find yourself waiting on.
Good for an evening indoors, harder for sleep
Reading, cooking, writing, or a long evening at home all suit a storm, and the rumbles are part of why it feels good. Sleeping through a noisy street is a different job and this is a weaker tool for it, because every rumble is one more thing happening and a light sleeper surfaces for each one. Pick it for the atmosphere with that trade in view. If you want the same weather built to disappear instead, rain over brown noise holds still and covers more.
Tuning it without losing the weather
If the thunder is arriving too often for what you're doing, pull it back to about 25% and the rumbles flatten into something you feel more than hear. If the rain is the part competing with you, drop the overall volume rather than either sound, since the balance between them is what makes it read as weather at all. The two recordings are different lengths, so the storm never repeats on a pattern you can learn. Once it stops asking for your attention, leave it where it is.
Explore the sounds in this mix
Listen to each layer on its own: Rain and Thunder. Or start from scratch in the free online sound mixer.
Frequently asked questions
How loud is the thunder in this mix?
It starts under the rain, which is what makes it sound distant instead of overhead. The starting levels are listed under the Play button and both sliders move.
Is this a good mix to sleep to?
You can try it, though a storm keeps changing and that is the kind of sound that wakes you again. For street noise overnight, rain over brown noise stays steadier.
Does it loop?
Both sounds loop, but the two recordings are different lengths, so they don't line up the same way twice and there is no obvious cycle to hear.