Thunderstorm on an Old House — Heavy Rain & Thunder

Recorded from inside, which is the whole difference. The rain arrives as impacts on a roof and against glass rather than as open-air hiss, and the thunder keeps its low frequencies instead of being rolled off — you get the pressure of the strike, not just the crack. The spacing between claps is wide enough that they register as punctuation rather than as events you brace for.

Storms are the one sleep sound with a genuine risk of waking you, since a close strike is by definition sudden and loud. This mix keeps the peaks under control, so the thunder stays in the middle distance. If you want the weather with none of the surprise, the pure rain and ocean entries here are safer picks; if the rumble is the part you actually like, this is the one.