Noctilucid

Quiet day here but I'm really enjoying the photos, brilliant visibility for structure today and indeed there was some of it to my North early this afternoon. Absolutely stunning red orange sunset though.

Really nice day today, didn't catch any lightning as everything skirted just to my South East or far to my North, with at least a couple of downpours developing overhead just as they moved off to my East. But I got to see some fantastic cloud structure, initially to my distant North and then to my East. Rock solid updrafts, pileus and glaciated anvils all in evidence today indicating some pretty serious potential being released. Improving visibility throughout the afternoon was nice too. Interesting to be under a couple of rapidly developing updrafts as they moved up the Thats estuary, very rapidly changing conditions as we got no more than a moderate shower while the land just a few miles East was deluged. A welcome relief from the opressive humidity for now.

Significant development over Northern and Western Kent. Currently I'm under quite a sloid blanket of mid level cloud, which is dampening the boundary layer convection considerably.

Quite right, a series of very powerful looking downpours across Northern Hertfordshire and Essex now. Developing heavy shower heading East for Southern Essex at present caught a glimpse of the back edge now its a few miles East of me, towers billowing into what looks like a developing fibrous anvil and a rainbow suggesting heavy rain already falling over the Thurrock/Basildon area. The very powerful convection that was to my SW has withered away at the base somewhat as it moves towards me.

Fully fledged storm now over North Essex. Must be fairly entertaining now between Braintree and Colchester, very powerful convection in that direction ahead of the already strong storms moving through Hertfordshire. Meanwhile to my SSE low level cloud has parted to reveal a very thick glaciated anvil in the distance with some quite impressive mammatus developing. Quite a sight actually, if only I had a working camera! Also evidence of large cumulus to my SW, probrably S/SW London. Explosive convection to my South West with pileus, should it develop further it will brush to my immediate South before Long, effecting SE London and NW Kent. And now moderate rain from a developing updraft to my immediate East, rapid convection still going to my SW, but it is rathing pulsing and collapsing.

Indeed, and very powerful convection on their Southern side and ahead of them to their East. Perhaps a linear feature such as convergence or a short wave trough producing them then? (Beaten to it in above post ) Very strong development over more central and Northern areas of Essex from what I can see up the A12, Chelmsford way I would guess but probrably a bit further than that, perhaps Braintree or Colchester judging by radar. Very large cumulus congestus starting to develop a proper cloud top. Fully fledged storm now over North Essex.

Very large thunderheads to my North, no doubt due to the action over the midlands. Meanwhile developing updrafts a few miles to my South are beginning to drop rain on me.

Certainly is, theres congesting cumulus following on behind the initial storm heading your way soon. The intial storm is generating quite a large anvil shield, and theres large congesting cumulus in just about every direction now. Very rapid development and darkening cloud bases to my South.

Gone really rather muddy to my East, with quite a large anvil pushed out overhead.

Afternoon. I did wonder why it had gone so gloomy to my SE, I'd taken my eyes off the weather.

Morning. Not a lot of activity here last night, it was all a few miles to my East which is becoming somewhat commonplace in these setups. Interesting to see how the storms over Biscay and those over Kent turned out to be part of the same trough.

Its all gone a bit foggy here as temperatures drop very close to the dew point but there is still occasional distant thunder, quite eerie.

Angry thunder in the distance as a storm brushes just East of here, nothing new there. This is only round 1, theres a scattering of powerful storms and showers leaving the Normandy coast right now, lots of lightning being detected down that way, however like everything else they're taking on a quite an Easterly drift which will limit their coverage. Also note what appears to be a strong multicell area over the Bay of Biscay which no could well efect some areas later this morning. Its a change from most of the more recent summer storms setups where the window of opportunity is only a few hours long.

Can see the lightning activity too close by to my East and SE.

Isolated storms set to effect Kent, East Sussex, London and Essex very soon. Certainly activity moving up the M23/A23 area at the moment.

Ohhh dear. Isolated 'storms' closing on on London now.

Keep an eye on developments pushing out of Britany now, looks like they will graze the South East in a few hours effecting Kent and perhaps Sussex, Greater London and Essex if they remain in a similar state to how they are now.

You're probrably right, they do seem rather isolated and scattered at present, but always worth keeping an eye on things considering the blatant signs of at least some instability above my head at the moment. They're certainly shifting though.

Echoes appearing in the channel and just inland of Bognor Regis, Sussex, Surrey, Kent, Greater London and Essex could be in for something interesting soon.

Here we go, rapid development of radar echoes in the channel North of Cherborg.

Amen to that. Variety of cloud types inidicating unstable mid layers, just about everyone one in the book infact.

Looks more like an early morning than a late nighter to me. Morning thunderstorms, haven't had them in a while.

There isn't even any French stuff yet. :lol: But that will soon change.

Aircraft having to make very steep turns now, when the air traffic controllers and pilots are worried enough to request diversions you know its serious development. Part of the development to my North West has pushed out a small anvil. Anvil starting to be pushed out of the storm tops now and beginning to hang overhead, everything is moving almost ENE, which is not a good sign for import prospects later.

Heavy development a few miles to my West now, with quite a significant Easterly motion. Can easily see the tops of a line of developing showers, there is also more isolated and scattered convection about showing strong upwards motion. Aircraft flying the Lambourne approach for Heathrow are having to head South and then West instead of South West to get around the Southern side of the storms.