StormLoser

Thank you!

Argh - locked myself out of my account! It's actually probably my Gurgle Chrome (Win 10). It won't access the site - going at a total crawl. I didn't even know if my message got posted. It's probably the Chrome cache. MS Edge works fine here. Please don't worry about it. Thanks! Update: yep - Chrome cache. All good now.

Please, has anyone a rough ETA for Saturday's squall line for my area (Reigate / Gatwick)? This site is playing up, and I can't access Thunder and Lightning's charts and some other features. Just would like to know because we have a guy who comes and gardens for us, and I have a feeling he'll start right as the squall line hits...

Checking in from Reigate to say we have had a few showers, nothing more than that. Certainly nothing that would justify a Yellow warning from the Met Office. Looks like you had fun in Deal, Kent!

Morning all. Not a lot of obvious instability around here. But with some surface forcing it may be enough to get things going. Showers about but not electrified.

Whole string of showers going up in Sussex and Surrey! Watching with interest. We had good towering cumulus from the get-go.

With the talk a page back on CG+ strikes, the most memorable CG+ strike I experienced was back in the 1970s in Durham. We'd had a day of thunderstorms and as 8pm came around everything had passed and settled to steady rain. I decided to take a bath. And mid-bath I noticed everything had gone weirdly silent and the rain increased. The most intense single blue-white flash shone through the bathroom window, causing the lights to brown-out. After 3-4 seconds followed the loudest crash of thunder I've ever heard - and I've had strikes land 100 feet from me. This thunder shook the bath water and I honestly thought the ceiling would come down. It was that intense. Everything was vibrating and shaking. The single strike landed about a mile away in some houses, and the fire station staff on seeing it dispatched a couple of fire engines and were able to put out a roof fire. Fortunately no casualties apart from a lad lightly shocked from wearing headphones for his music. Newspaper next day sported the headline "Thunderbolt rocks Framwellgate Moor". I only wish I had been able to witness the flash directly. it must have been one hell of a CG+!

Looking at the rather grey Dymchurch webcam and see lightning in the channel! One good solid strike so far. https://theromneymarsh.net/beachcam Well, after a few flashes and one really big forked lightning, the storm appears to have expired. Too much effort for it.

Looks like some of you saw some storms! I was hopeful this afternoon as the squalls arrived at Reigate from the south. And I could barely believe my eyes as the squall line parted around Reigate and gave us 5 minutes of rain while to the east and west it carried on as normal. I often joke about the Reigate Local High Pressure Zone. Today I witnessed its awesome power. Are we up for anything tomorrow south of London? I looked at Estofex, but it looks like it forecasts a similar picture to today.

Reigate murk has re-established itself. Sigh.

I've got into enough trouble with my opinions on the MO's Yellow Warnings. Suffice it to say, no they will not update them and if a warning goes to Amber you can pretty much expect the event to have already finished. I have rarely been impressed with the MO's weather warning system; it seems designed to cover their backs rather than serve useful information. I'd better shut up, now! I'll get into trouble again...

Interesting range of charts on offer this morning. I glanced at the radar and the rain's heading NNW right now along with the low pressure centre. So....hmmmm....where's my large cellar with grains of salt in it? On the other hand, the sun has finally broken through the murk over Reigate and is weakly warming things here - a bit like a candle. So I'm not taking any forecast seriously for now.

Lol! I know the feeling with this recent heat! It's very humid here now. But...I don't think I'm going to see any storms. That line vanished. Maybe tomorrow.

As I come back from my siesta - a habit gained in the last week, senors/senoritas - I notice a moisture line forming a little north of the south coast. Could this do something for my area? Watching with interest.

"Punching the core", eh? No tornado, probably just a bunch of road works instead... I could see that storm from Reigate and it was pretty epic! As for today, well I have to hang onto the forecasts and hope something shows. Currently it is overcast with severe yellow weather warning drizzle. Dodgy stuff, that. It doesn't feel like anything can emerge, and Estofex have a very thin forecast for the southern UK. Fingers crossed!

Now that is funny! Thanks for the chuckle! Urinating journos...lol I know my Swedish friend's history. No lizards required in his, and he's the real deal. Folks can enjoy the tale, or leave it. No problem, doesn't bother me! One day I'll tell you about the Soviet tank he bought in Ukraine... Meanwhile, let's hope Saturday and Sunday bring us some weather action!!

I happen to know the unfortunate Swedish scientist whose rushed and tired write-up of his organisations aircraft pollution research caused the Haarps conspiracy. He sees the funny side of it now. There was never a conspiracy. It was genuine but badly written research, that was swept up by some very naughty journalists looking for a story. Can't tell you his name as he's a mega-corporation director now and it's up to him to tell his story.

Brilliant and thank you!

Weather warnings are going well. Not. Anyone awake at the Met Office? Or is their Yellow Blob left across the South just because it looks nice? I quote their latest Reigate forecast: "This Evening and Tonight: Heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected to continue through the evening and overnight, Generally overcast through much of the night, especially toward the east coast. Feeling warm and humid. Minimum temperature 16 °C." I'll go and stand under our metal pergola...perhaps that will get things going!

Send it our way please! It is 18c here in Reigate, heavy overcast, and even if a storm erupted here it would give up and b*gger off through depression. The parakeets in our garden sound happy though... Nick Finnis mentioned Isentropic Lift. Well, I interpret that as likely to go either way: up/down, in or out, storm or no storm. ( ) Meanwhile the weekend forecast looks better except for one thing....

I'd place a bet on nothing happening other than some rain for the south of London to the coast. The trough is sinking south but there's simply no energy in it. And nothing but thick cloud south of it.

I'm looking at the rain radars, mulling the weather warnings, Estofex and Mr Finnis' forecast. I don't see anything coming off this. The system seems to be drying out from the east. I suspect no storms for London and the SE as we head into the afternoon. Hopefully I am wrong, but...

While my "Reigate Local High Pressure Zone" warded off the worst of yesterday's storms, I did enjoy watching the mass creep westwards over Epsom with continuous thunder and some lightning visible in the rain. It looked quite epic. It seems hard to believe Estofex and Mr Finnis' forecasts with our grey overcast and cool air this morning! Still - I'll wait with anticipation. Happy hunting all!

Watched the storms drift away over Epsom. Not much for Reigate other than a good soaking. Fun to listen to the continuous thunder though. I think that's it so I'm signing out. Have fun all!

Oh...wait. Looking at the radar it does look like another low is forming to the east. Amiens for the south, Lille for the east, and the Thames Estuary for the north. Met Office may have it right after all.