Calamity James
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Posts posted by Calamity James
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If you live in Suffolk or anywhere else for that matter that has a lot of overhead power cables rather than underground ducted cables then lightning will often cause lights to dip and surges/millisecond power cuts that will make your pc turn off. If your pc turns off unexpectedly and without following the shut down procedure then you run the risk of damaging your hard drive and/or losing data. The bit about windows was with reference to it being an often unstable and unreliable o/s without added complications. Hope that clears things up for you.
That does make more sense, we're all underground cables down here. Having said that, I've had to rip the power cable out of plenty of PCs and I very rarely encounter data loss, usually only if data in the delayed write cache hasn't been written yet.
If you do experience that many power cuts it might be prudent to invest in a cheap UPS.
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It's because of the power surges that lightning strikes create. If you have a close strike then it will cause a power spike and your pc to abruptly shut down running the risk of damaging the motherboard and hard drive - especially if using windows!
I'd like to see proof of it, if so it will be VERY rare cases that this actually happens. At best it will cut the power with a possibility of data loss. An abrupt shutdown very rarely affects hardware, it used to be more of a problem in the early days when the heads of the hard drive needed to be told to park before a shut down. Most modern PC power supplies can handle voltages from 100-250v.
I've worked in IT for 8 years and the only times I've ever seen PCs damaged by lightning strikes is when they have had a modem plugged into the phoneline (either because they never bothered removing it when they got broadband or because they send faxes from their PCs).
Windows will also have nothing to do with it, Apples/Linux PCs don't have some magic anti surge software installed!
Anyway, back on topic, still nothing in Tunbridge Wells, although it is feeling noticeably cooler with increased cloud cover.
James.
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Still puzzles me to this day why people log off when there's lightning about, this isn't 1998, your PC isn't connected directly to the phone line via a 56k modem!
If you have Freeview or analogue TV it'd probably be more prudent to unplug your TVs aerial as it's at much more risk than your PC!
The only excuse for logging off when lightning is about is to go out and witness it!
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Seem to be getting lightning everywhere but Kent in the SE now, come on!
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Dilemma!! Stay in Dymchurch or head back to NWkent? Seems to me chances are better there today. Thoughts? Am in turmoil lol
lol, at least you have a choice, I'm stuck in TW until 5.30!
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Friend of mine just said theres a storm, lives sort of near Gatwick
I'm in Tunbridge Wells and I haven't heard anything yet, still sunny here but it looks interesting on Blitzortung!
Edit: Ah, you changed to Stansted
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I think it is time for us all to join hands in a circle and pray, everyone join hands and repeat after me:
Oh Thor, great one and bringer of joy to us weather nerds,
Please grant us which we so longed for and deserve,
Have sweated and hair has frizzed for months on end for,
Have watched radar and had hopes dashed for,
We faithfully chase and photograph for,
Have waited with baited breath for long years for,
We ask you oh noble and powerful Thor,
That you bring to us a wonderful, huge, last all night thunderstorm.
We pray in mighty Thor's name,
Amen.
Amen to that!
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Some promising "twinkles" at the southern end of the map (at last) woohoo!
(P.S. I've never known a thread take over my life as much as this one has recently!)
Haha, I always end up glued here every summer
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Looking at all the clouds from Sheppey with hope, any chance if there is a storm it'll skirt the island? If not I guess I'll have to watch the Estury, had too many beers to drive (Beer garden + 31.7C = no contest!)
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Been snowing for about 2-3 hours in Maidstone, varying degrees of intensity, although quite big flakes!
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That's exactly what i'm hoping to not have to do if it does get usoh I would love it if the system made an unexpected turn eastwards into Kent, Essex and Sussex. Mind you, I have to go to work tomorrow!
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Very loud thunderclap in Maidstone just now, the lightning was so bright I saw it through my shut metal blinds with the lights on!Cells now arriving in the south east as expected, some decent precip cores in there, and apparently a fair bit of electrical activity.
Was sure I was seeing flashes earlier on in the night too!
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Am in a dip surounded by trees can see a few flashes far away. Really depressed because of back pain will keep watching and hoping. Thanks for the tip though MW enjoy the light show. <_<
The joys of the Medway Valley eh? The only reason I can see anything is because I'm on the top floor of our flats, light pollution from Lockmeadow doesn't help though!
I thought that's where your shots would've come from Paul, glad they got to you at least
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constant flashing every few secs from the line of storms to my east! why won't it budge this way!
Seems to have surrounded me! My parents on Sheppey say it's kicking off over there now! <_<
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so there's more to come?
That's what I was hoping, it kinda skirted around Maidstone!! <_<
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Couple of huge CGs overhead in Tunbridge Wells with the thunder following mere seconds after! To think I spent hours chasing on Thursday night and this one's parked itself right on top of me!
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That was a bit of a disappointment! Heading back from Margate, gonna throw in the towel, knackered now! lol
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At St Nicholas at Wade roundabout head straight across following A299 along to Manston. Alongside the runway heading towards Ramsgate is a layby over on the right near a turn off for Sevenscore - you would get a fantastic view out from the South East, South and West there as its high up.
Theres still thunder here - distant but it seems to have pepped up slightly in the past 5 minutes
Awesome, thanks for that! We're on our way! I'll try and follow those directions. Don't suppose you could post a Google map of it?
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Currently heading along the M2 towards Margate with Lightning Ed hoping to catch a glimpse of the second wave on it's way. We've got Margate up in front of us and flashes to the right so fingers crossed we'll converge with them there! Anyone know any good viewpoints in Margate?
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I think my heart is going to give up the ghost with all this radar watching, I've been stood on a chair in the garden looking over toward Tonbridge to see if I could see anything, hoping that beasty moving toward you can trek 30k inland
Have fun.
Watching it from both Warlingham and North Kent, can both see the same storm over the troposphere (on the phone to Lightning Ed right now). Tempted to go out and follow it! Any tips on where to be?
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Guess I'm lucky I'm at work then, every time I'm at home I tend to miss out on the thunderstorms! Why does Maidstone get avoided so much?!OMG this is unfair if only the winds were NW rather than SW
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Rumbles of thunder in Tunbridge Wells and dark clouds approaching...
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Very strange weather at the moment, lightning coming from all directions in the past hour with no thunder. Phoned my son who is just down the road with his friends he said there were balls of lightning coming out of the sky, told him he must be seeing things
Agreed, Maidstone is getting one heck of a battering right now, it's amazing!
Caught one on my phone...
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Few strikes of lightning off the Isle of Sheppey in the Thames Estury, seems to be coming in from the East...
Update: Becoming quite a bit more frequent now...
lol
El Gordo! - Spanish Plume Thunderstorm Discussion 5
in Storms & Severe Weather
Posted
Couple of distant rumbles in TW and just heard one slightly louder one.
GF reporting frequent loud thunder on the Isle of Sheppey, can see the clouds on the weather cam:
http://www.iossc.org.uk/weather/index.php?n=4