Good Questions: Thunder, Pop And Snoring

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – It's Friday, so that means WCCO's John Lauritsen is answering some of your Good Questions.

Anita from Mounds View wants to know: Why is thunder so loud?

WCCO meteorologist Mike Augustyniak explains that thunder is the sound made when a small channel of air is heated to 3,000 degrees in just a thousandth of a second by lightning.

The shockwave that's made by that air expanding violently creates a boom or crack that we know as thunder.

Several viewers wanted to know: Why does pop make us burp?

Pop, as we call it in Minnesota, contains carbon dioxide that our stomachs don't want so it's burped out of us.

But, carbon dioxide is also the reason that some people think pop tastes better.

The bubbles actually heighten the flavor. They can also send aromas up to the drinker's nose, creating a heightened perception of flavor.

Juanita from Milan wants to know: Why are we more likely to snore as we get older?

Doctors say as we get older we put on weight, quite often around the neck, so throat space becomes narrower.

Nasal strips, humidifiers and certain pillows can help with this.

And, if you can get used to a CPAP machine they have been known to help open up the airway so snoring becomes less of an issue for you and your partner.