Phil UK

INSTALLING STORMS... ██████████ █████░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░ ░░44% DONE. Install delayed... .please wait. Installation failed. Please try again. 404 error: Storms not found. Season " Storms " cannot be located. The storms you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable..... Phil.

A slight take on that methinks... "Just a gentle reminder to remind you all of what lightning actually is as I know you've all probably forgotten : Lightning is an atmospheric non-existent phenomena predominantly for Solihull, Wrexham and Cheltenham which causes electrostatic discharge, accompanied by thunder which for said areas above, is usually down to vocal ranting and raving, or wheelie bins being moved. The former which typically occurs during thunderstorms forecast for said areas above, and not come to fruition. From this discharge of raging electrical anger, the leader of a No Storms Club can, after watching a guarantee of storms in her area for the past 5 years or so and seriously disappointed can throw teacups that can travel at speeds of 220,000 km/h (140,000 mph) There are some 16 million lightning storms in the world every year. Except Solihull, Wrexham and Cheltenham in 2011. [4] Lightning causes satisfaction in the North East of England air through which it has travelled extensively so far in 2011, leading to the formation of storm-starved frustration elsewhere." Phil.

I would have thought, Aaron that orographic uplift with an humid and unstable west or south west wind direction over the Pennines would intensify rather than drain storms? Reminds me of May 2004 when storms developed over Solihull, a very picturesque view of towering Cumulonimbus to my north, and all the action happened in Sheffield, Leeds, Derbyshire, et al. Much flooding and vivid lightning on that evening. I could only watch (and sulk a bit!) as the press reports came in. I think for prosperity, and to cheer myself up. I'll post an image from Saturday 1st May 2010. A day before my 40th Birthday. Just so I remember what a storm and taking pics of lightning looks like... Big hail with that too, totally unexpected. Phil.

(Blatantly nicked from 2nd August Storm/Convective thread...) Snow Raven : It's like Christmas, Snow Raven. You wait with anticipation and expect what you asked for. But only to find that instead of an X-Box, you end up with your Aunties badly knitted socks. Or in the case of Solihull and Cheltenham to date where storms are concerned... Bugger all! Still, it's August and I've seen some very severe storms around this time of year. 2003 springs to mind with the hottest UK temperatures on record and that Sunday morning (12th I think?). WOAH!! But this is Solihull 2011 so... Phil. (Self Edit : Snow Raven, not Storm Raven!! Must have storm in my mind).

That is what you call Sod's Law, 03jtrickey. I recall back in September 2008 (5th I think?) when I spent a week in Devon a day after the massive flooding in Cheltenham (It does happen, Jane. ;-) ) and Gloucester. No storms up here in Solhull but a battering of rain on the journey down the M5. But when I was away, that very same day, thunderstorm over Solihull as my younger Brother reported. Sod's Law! ARRGHHHHH!! Maybe if I go travel to Skegness for the next couple of days... If Shakespeare was a weatherman... "To Cb or not to Cb?" Probably not! Phil.

And the coldest if recent records are to go by. Especially in Buxton. Phil.

Jane bab. I think reverse psychology is required. In other words... "WE DON'T WANT ANY STORMS!! BE GONE OF THUNDER AND LIGHTNING HERE IN SOLIHULL AND CHELTENHAM. GO AWAY AND INVADE THE NORTH EAST OF ENGLAND". Hmm... Now I've just said that, they probably will. I'll just find some fresh batteries for my torch and a sheet of metal and collect an ASBO for my efforts... Here's a thought though... What if that weather programme on BBC1 tomorrow night sees them live outside in a thunderstorm? Might make their map look a bit wet. Phil.

Looking lively over north London according to the METO 9pm radar. Now just move another 97 miles NW... Probably not though methinks. I'll just have to rely on NE movement and if Jane doesn't get any storms if a SW airflow, then nor will I. My sig looks bare with no activity so far this year. Hell! I'll have a storm even if I have to use a torch for lightning and wobble a thin sheet of metal for thunder at 1:00am. Only problem with that is that I'll have neighbours complaining and I may get arrested for anti social behaviour. The alternative I guess is You Tube. :-) Phil.

To west, to east... To east, to west... Here's hoping for at least something thundery this coming week. Or am I once again being tooooooooo optimistic? Phil.

Another day of interesting skies. Two moderate late afternoon showers but nothing too intense, but looking at the images below, especially the first one as it passed over Solihull, weakened and now looks like it's intensifying again as it moves towards SW London. Although I don't see it becoming electrified in any way. (But I've been known to be wrong before! ) 5:42pm : Very turbulent sky behind the first shower. 5:56pm : Looked sinister but missed. 6:45pm One thing, if nothing else that I'll remember this month so far , are the interesting and very turbulent skies. This week alone have I never seen Mammatus cover at least 3/4 of the sky. A shame I don't possess a fish eye lens to prove so. Phil.

Very interesting. I'm only about 16 miles north of Coventry and prior to your image of the funnel cloud over Coventry, the skies over here were peppered with mammatus. I thought something looked a bit suss at that point but apart from a short spell of moderate rain, nothing else of interest to note. Phil.

Maybe the now defunct News of the World could have hacked it. Phil.

Make mine a double. I have a few beers ready but by the time Solihull sees a storm, chances are that they will have gone well past their expiry date. Just a question... What have Scotland and the north east done to the atmosphere this year? I can't ever recall in the 34 years of my interest in weather (I was 7 years old then!) when the opposite has occurred where storms unlikely in certain areas are receiving an abundance of them, yet areas expected to receive them have seen little, if anything? (So far anyway!) It's a conspiracy, I tell you! And welcome to our club, Katherine. Pull up a chair and vent your spleen here. Phil.

You can indeed, but as said before, we really don't want you people here as we want to encourage visible/overhead storm activity wherever in the UK and Ireland. (That sounds so harsh, but true! ) The sole purpose of this thread is for those stormless in years gone by, and in the future to come in and have a rant when Mother Nature is not doing what we expect, especially during unsettled Summers. I notice not many takers from the north east especially of late. Can't think why. Phil.

You are more than welcome, Sunlover. But we don't want to see you here for too long. :winky: Phil.

I like it in there. And I can't see myself coming out of there anytime soon. What looked like a promising weekend with pyrotechnical atmospherics has so far turned out to be a total damp squib. So the Solihull Storm Shield holds firm. (It did for all of Summer 2007!) Phil.

Some pretty turbulent skies out now that the front has passed through and plenty of convection to boot. Always a good sign of instability showers when I see this which I took about 35 minutes ago... And no, our shed is not on fire, just merely rainwater evaporation. Phil.

Just had the same shower over here in Solihull, about 20 minutes of insane rain, but alas, no thunder to be heard even if the sky preceding it had that guaranteed thundery look about it. Certainly wasn't expecting anything like that here today. I would have thought it more likely some two or three days ago. Phil.

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.

Well, Vetigo. Jane is the boss. I'm just the tea maker round here. Theoretically, it is the 'No Storms Club 2011'. Meaning that members can only join if no storm has as yet occurred over said members area throughout the duration of 2011. And if you do encounter as such which should be very near, if not directly overhead, then we'll be glad to see you go. For me so far, and in the same league as my boss, Jane... NOTHING!! NADA!! ZILCH!! NOWT!! BIG FAT ZERO!! And reading through the convection threads over the past three days... (Edinburgh especially!) These lot oooop narth and east are snow hoggers usually. Or is this some kind of pennance for our last two glorious, snowy but extremely chilly Winters? In other words... We get the storms down here (Jane excluded! :winky: ) and you get all the snow up there. But it's gone bi-polar whaere we've had the snow and now YOU lot up north are getting all the storms this year especially so far. Can normal service be resumed please? Or else I may have to look up the word 'Thunderstorm' before too long. Phil.

Where thunderstorms are concerned, I've been doing the same since 23rd September 2010. I share your pain. Nice skyscape today admittedly and did see a (very) distant CG at around 5:55pm but apart from that... N O T H I N G!! It's enough to drive ya barmy! Phil.

Yep, I can see not one, but two cells from where I'm looking in Solihull. Looks interesting for your area. Meanwhile here in Solihull. N O T H I N G!! Phil.

I share your pain, Jane. (Sorry about the poet in me. Eat your heart out, Shakespeare). Oddly enough, last Monday I was having a cold pint on a hot and humid day at a pub in Stratford-upon-Avon... Pen and Parchment. But as threatening as the sky looked, a few large raindrops as that cold front removed the Spanish plume and that was it during the daylight hours. Only around midnight on Tuesday 28th June did a distant thunderstorm occur but no good to me as I was already in bed about half an hour earlier. So unless I see one at least 2 miles away, then it doesn't count in my book. Several hours later, and London and the south east had all the fun. ARRGHHHHH!! Last Wednesday, an evening shower that appeared out of literally nowhere (BBC said light showers possibly, this was not a light shower!) More action from that than the cold front passing through on the previous day. But tomorrow could be interesting, and Wednesday even more so for potential storms. Otherwise, here I remain. Phil.

Mmmm... I think out of the many more prolonged thunderstorms I've ever witnessed, the most vivid in my memory was on a Saturday morning in July 1987. (Spanish plume ironically!) It was about 8:30am when the sky went suddenly very dark, a mix of vivid IC and CG preceded the main area and for about five hours, it was almost constant close CGs and boom type thunder. Probably the loudest I've ever heard . Just after 3pm, the storm (II'm guessing MCS but seemed like one singular massive cell) cleared, Sun broke out under still menacing skies but only for rapid convection to kick off with another two short-lived storms that followed later on in the same evening. The shortest? April 1994. Had a mix of wind, rain which became wintry with hail and sleet and a sharp overhead crack of thunder. The morning of Christmas Day 1990 was another one after a cold front passed through with intense hail which you could have passed off as snow if you used your imagination a bit. Phil.

New shorts please! Great ear-splitting thunderclap at 35 seconds. And I for one know from experience back in July 1994 just what that sounds like. You saw the camera shake, and yes, it does feel like a seismic wave go around and below you. Lightning struck a tree just behind where I was outside working and I don't think I've ever run so fast in my entire life. Forget that athlete called Bolt, this was one bolt I did move athletically from. Phil.