[17 July 2011 - Storm/convective Forecast, Discussion And Reports]

Well today has been fun just like every other storm day. Radar watching with nothing heading this way

I think you wanting it so much is stopping it happening. Try some reverse psychology!

[17 July 2011 - Storm/convective Forecast, Discussion And Reports]

Southern Medway might be about to get something! Gone very dark all of a sudden with a nice tail cloud...winds very gusty too. I've got the tail end on it's way and, for all intents and purposes, a bit of a clear slot.

Sky in the distance looks like there's something....

I HATE PULSE TYPE STORMS....THEY'RE UNREADABLE!!!!!

Are pulse storms ones that just spring up from nowhere?

[17 July 2011 - Storm/convective Forecast, Discussion And Reports]

Oh, just had some thunder.

[17 July 2011 - Storm/convective Forecast, Discussion And Reports]

Looking towards the W/NW the skies are full of convection and some pretty mean looking clouds!

Hopefully an interesting couple of hours on the way

What's your personal forecast for the next couple of hours?

[17 July 2011 - Storm/convective Forecast, Discussion And Reports]

Got all excited that something big was coming as we lost our SKY, but nothing came of it.

Oh well, here are some ominous looking clouds.

[17 July 2011 - Storm/convective Forecast, Discussion And Reports]

Dammit. it didn't electrify over me, think give it another 15 and it will.

Uploading pictures as we speak of the fantastic clouds.

[17 July 2011 - Storm/convective Forecast, Discussion And Reports]

hmmm! well im keeping my eyes fixed closely on the radar! getting darker again here now and amazing cloud formation!!

I know, I've been taking pictures!

[17 July 2011 - Storm/convective Forecast, Discussion And Reports]

Some serious looking clouds heading this way.

[17 July 2011 - Storm/convective Forecast, Discussion And Reports]

Looks very mean on radar Nick

Currently on a track for me, but with the swirling influence of the low and pulsating nature, it could be a floating anvil by the time it gets near here.

Still, some pokey deluges still in the vicinity of here

What could we expect when it hits us?

[17 July 2011 - Storm/convective Forecast, Discussion And Reports]

Most cloud to ground lightning strikes originate in the base of the cloud, which is negatively charged. The intense negative charge within the base of the cloud, induces a positive charge on the ground. (The ground is neutral, however when you pass something near it which is heavily charged, in this case negatively, it repels all negatively charged particles within the ground and attracts positively charged particles - now, the surface of the ground is positively charged). When the charge built is too big for the air to insulate anymore, there is a discharge of energy in the form of a lightning bolt. The resistance overcome between the lowest part of the cloud and the ground is huge, but fairly standard.

Take the same process, and reverse it. This time, the positively charged TOP of the cloud induces a negative charge on the ground...if you consider the much greater distance (and therefore air in between, insulating the build up of charge) between the top of the cloud and the ground (sometimes over 40,000ft) you get an idea of the massive jump in energy (voltage, current, overall energy) we are talking about. Positive charged bolts normally happen, for the observer, either before a storm (as it's arriving and you're under the positively charged anvil), leaving (again, as the anvil overhangs) or throughout a storm if you're on the periphery of the storm and under the anvil. It is these bolts which are also known as 'bolts from the blue' as it can be sunny, warm, completely dry and then the most almightly bang of the thunder....it is then you look up and see an anvil overhead and probably and black sky towards the horizon.

So basically a positive strike is extremely bright and loud?

[17 July 2011 - Storm/convective Forecast, Discussion And Reports]

According to strikestar, there have been a number of strikes within a couple of miles of me! Pouring again, very dark skies, yet nothing.... come on, fire something off!!!

I'm not sure how much I trust the strike radar. There's supposedly been a couple pretty much directly over me, but there haven't been. Pouring down though.

Also when people say a strike was positive what does this mean and how is it different to a regular strike?

[16 July 2011 - Storm/convective Forecast, Discussion And Reports]

Pretty much been raining all day, which is good as we are need of some rain. Need to go check my rainguage shortly.

[UK convective general discussion and forecasts]

I don't know to be honest- Wetterzentrale has a lightning archive from 1998 to 2007:

http://www.wetterzen...en/fsbeobl.html

...but it wouldn't cover August 1997.

How annoying. I would love to have seen the strikes that night, never seen anything like it in the UK.

[UK convective general discussion and forecasts]

How would I go about finding a strike map for the big storm of August 1997?

[UK convective general discussion and forecasts]

The sky for the last couple of days has had some promising looking clouds, but alas they haven't delivered. The sky looks like it wants to burst, but doesn't seem able to.

[12 July 2011 - Storm/convective Forecast, Discussion And Reports]

How come we are having these daily threads even though there's very little chnace of anything happening today?

[12 July 2011 - Storm/convective Forecast, Discussion And Reports]

MANY TIMES!!!!!!

This is why you often see me looking for needles in haystacks, pretty much like today

I found it quite poignant last night that both John Hammond and Darren Bett made an issue with the thundery low of the continent...they steered well clear of suggesting it would come our way, but Hammond in particular said "keeping us on our toes"...or to that effect.

I was thinking about a 12 years ago when we were caravanning. Everything in the weather suggested a lovely sunny day, nothing to even remotely suggest a thunderstorm. Yet the clouds came out of nowhere and we had one of the best thunderstorms I've ever seen in the UK.

[12 July 2011 - Storm/convective Forecast, Discussion And Reports]

How many times have people on here experienced a storm in this country when all the indicators suggest there won't be one? I was thinking about this earlier.

[10 July 2011 - Storm/convective Forecast, Discussion And Reports]

Lots of towering Cu today, but very much doubt anything will happen.

[El Gordo! - Spanish Plume Thunderstorm Discussion 6]

Great video, Lauren. :-) Was that "Oh cluck" you said at about 0:48 seconds? :winky: Mind you, I've had probably done and said the same given that circumstance. (Plus aged about 30 years for a short time!)

And closing your window? You lose the proper sound effects. I did that in May 2003 and the end result sounded like a low stomach rumble. Wasn't impressed so binned it.

Phil.

I know it was silly of me to close the window but the rain was really coming in. Towards the end of the video I opened it a crack so the sound came back.

[El Gordo! - Spanish Plume Thunderstorm Discussion 6]

finally got round to posting my video! Two extremely close strikes at the beginning.

Thanks Adi F for all your help with sorting it out.

[8 July 2011 - Storm/convective Forecast, Discussion And Reports]

If the SE is due to get anything today, whenabouts should it arrive?

[8 July 2011 - Storm/convective Forecast, Discussion And Reports]

Well it has been chucking it down here for the last hour. No thunderyness to note.

[7 July 2011 - Storm/convective Forecast, Discussion And Reports]

You're saying this at 12:30!? Behave!

It's been torrential now in C London for about the last hour!! :excl:

Which way is that heading?

[7 July 2011 - Storm/convective Forecast, Discussion And Reports]

Lots of interesting clouds today and pretty gusty. Something could happen, but I think perhaps tomorrow may provide more.