Azazel

I'm sooooo excited for summer. My SAD hasn't been as bad as normal this year and I think i'm learning to appreciate winter a lot more, but crikey, the thought of summer makes me moist. I was ill most of last year so didn't really get the chance to appreciate summer and the storms it brought with it, but this year I plan to savour every moment. We are even borrowing my friend's parent's RV to drive across to Belgium and France one weekend in the summer on a storm chasing adventure. Even if we don't see anything it will be a nice little trip:)

You couldn't make it up really. For the last 2 nights I've been staying at a really expensive hotel on the strand in London. Last night I went to the rooftop bar and paid 14 quid for a single Morgan spiced and coke, just for the privilege of being up there. As I looked over towards the London eye, I could see lightning, fairly regular lightning. Huge anvil crawlers and all sorts lighting up the breathtaking view of the London city skyline. I had my DSLR with me so I thought brilliant! And set it up to take some long exposures. Only my camera malfunctioned and I couldn't take any. Once in a lifetime view of a night time thunderstorm in the UK and technology hates me:(

So, why do the media keep on using the term "mini-tornado?" - are they trolling the weather community?

seems to be kicking off again, everything has a little too much of an Easterly component for my liking but we shall see

by the way, somebody posted a link to this site earlier/yesterday, but I cant find the original post to thank them and give credit . It's awesome and I cant stop watching it. Seems to be pretty accurate for CG's too, i just saw one "appear" around the Wherwell area and watched the soundwave expand until it passed over where I am and there was a nice peeling rumble of thunder. http://www.lightningmaps.org/realtime?lang=en

throwing it down here in Andover with low booming thunder. I'm stuck in the office with no windows so unable to see lightning:(

interesting to note how dark it is out there. If it was colder it would look like an early December morning First audible thunder in Andover

yesterday evening was epic here, although I imagine to the north-west it must have been even more so. I'm at a wedding reception this evening and won't be able to photograph anything so rest-assured, Hampshire will get some epic storms tonight.

devizes and places like that must be getting a really good light show. Can see the odd flash from here!

can anyone near portsmouth/bognor regis see anything to their south towards the channel?

rogue sferic nr. Andover would suggest these storms are becoming elevated as no rainfall detected in that area on radar

yes it doesnt look to be weakening, elevated?

from what I can tell, there is a fairly potent area of rainfall in the channel heading this way, don't think there's any lightning associated with it though, but its such an "atmospheric soup" out there tonight, it could become electrical once it makes landfall. EDIT: there has been a recent strike detected

is that a cluster i see in the English channel moving this way? managed to get these snaps, shame the bloody camera was out of focus:(

its a real beast if it's maintained its strength. Lots of lightning. Any chance of anything else developing to my south east? looks like a little blob on the radar but i cant tell if its dying out

That. Was. Intense. Whoever is north west of here is in for a real treat as the sun goes down most lightning i've seen in a storm for a very long time (in England) Are the storms meant to be elevated? because that really didn't look elevated, at least the leading edge. Some real swirling cloud and scud

audible thunder in Whitchurch from a slate grey sky. Visibility is very poor

Noooooo its far too earlyyyyy

I'm very excited that summer is going to make a late come-back. I'm pretty crap at reading the charts, so quick question. With all this warm air being sourced from off the continent, can we expect to see any thunderstorms? I ask because i'm still desperate to capture a long-exposure and I was on holiday for the spanish plume.

please hold off until after 4.30pm you potential central-southern beauties.

These photo's are incredible, let alone for UK standards. Awesome.

Smelt bonfire smoke the other day, that was my first "Autumn Prang." Just waiting for the sun to drop to that angle in the sky and the light level to alter and I will begrudgingly welcome Autumn.

Yes, anyone west of me keep an eye out because it really was getting its act together as it passed over here

can confirm the "swindon supercell" was certainly rotating as it passed over here. Flat, rock solid, low cloud base with some striations visible in the updraft region. Constant grumbling thunder. Was a goodun:)

I thought a Supercell was defined by the presence of a rotating meso and other factors rather than the frequency of lightning:p Just grey and bland here with poor visibility