Reefseeker

Thank you so much @sunnijim @kirkaldyweather @TN9 and @Eagle Eye for your analyses and explanations, really appreciate it and it just goes to show what a great weather community this is. Plus I've learnt about something called CIN:) BTW Kirkaldy, I love that you are around so many threads on this forum. Hope doesn't appear completely lost for thundery convection later so I'm keeping fingers crossed. Careful what I wish for, I'm out with friends tonight and inevitably roll home midnight at the earliest, which may coincide with a storm or two. All the best everyone.

Question for the knowledgeable. Looking at the radar, this morning's showers seem to be coming from the south west. In my mind, the breakdown etc was forecast to come later today from the north west-ish, Wales included moving south east. In the meantime a sunny day was forecast. Was the shower activity missed in the forecasts or did I miss something? Looking again at the radar, perhaps it's that the rain band is wider and we are picking up rain from its south-east edge.

Same here in Surbiton. Kept the bedroom windows open all night for sleeping, 26 degrees downstairs at 9am, back door now open with a slight breeze. A tiny shower splodged the garden furniture for 5 minutes leaving some high thin clouds. Looking at the radar, I'm not sure what to expect for the rest of the day. Edit: another shower coming through from this lot requiring rapid bringing in of garden cushions.

Interesting colours in the skies tonight, no filter required. I have no idea what the early hours will bring, but fingers crossed we all get some explosive convection aloft (perhaps not for brontophobes).

You will love it. We took taxis most of the time and they worked really well.

Wow, you should share your weight loss secret and make a fortune! Just back from a week on the east coast of Ibiza in Santa Eularia, so taking the opportunity to post a couple of pics - these are from Ibiza Old Town which is a UNESCO heritage site and lovely. Beware Ibiza's pickpockets if you take the bus; 2 people blocking your exit 'deep in conversation' are not oblivious but are enabling the pickpocket to get around Ibiza's tourists:( Ibiza otherwise was fantastic with no clubbing required;) Back on topic, a warmish day with a lot of thick cloud cover, getting really hot when the sun peeks through. Does anyone else have small groups of little orange flying insects in their garden? Not sure what they are.

The dramatic version of the storm just missed Surbiton, but we did get plenty of flashes on the horizon, a handful of good deep rumbles overhead and some rain either side of midnight. Glad to see that some place had an amazing thundery evening; my sister in Reading says it was storm-central there.

It felt like the morning after the (stormy) night before around Bournemouth beach this morning. Evidently torrential rain had moved a lot of debris down Middle Chine and upon arrival the pock-marked sand was divided into the remains of a river bed at the base of both Alum and Middle Chines.

Yes, of course, what a lovely idea to paint it, and I agree, the beach was so atmospheric last night with distant storms and the Barfleur visible on its approach to Poole Harbour. A mix of thunder and lightning from high level sheet to crackling CC made its way over Bournemouth around 10.30pm and lasted well into the night lighting up the sky and illuminating the trees spectacularly accompanied by some proper gunshot claps of thunder rolling around. Loved it.

I've been watching the storm over the Channel from Bournemouth beach. Some proper convective rain plus probable outflow once or twice. Very happy bunny:) 20220515_205230.mp4

A few light rain showers in Surbiton. It looks cold out there. Congrats to those who saw some snow:)

It's been great watching yesterday the men's and today the women's semi-finals; a storm outside and an 11th end for the curling, it's all go;) Our neighbours on the other side have now lost their fences too, plus the felting on our shed roof has gone off for a wander. I don't remember a storm doing quite this amount of albeit fairly minor damage in all the time I've lived here, so this is definitely up there for me; at least on a par with St Valentine's Day storm in 2014. Not much enjoying the attic rattling away though.

The gusts just won't stop here. Next door no longer has any fences on either side of their garden and I foolishly returned to the attic to 'work' after watching the curling semi-finals but the thundering across the roof is incredible in each consecutive gust.

Hope it goes well and you stay safe, well... and mobile through the traffic. I was thinking about the hospital as I've been in and out of there a fair bit of late, and of course things have to continue there. Wouldn't fancy the A3 in this weather.

Some incredibly strong gusts here in Surbiton, next door's fence already down, trees bent double, debris flying past the window; it does feel like one of the strongest storms I've witnessed. It still surprises me under a red warning the amount of people out doing mundane things - one woman was literally unable to push the pushchair in front of her during a powerful gust and had to turn around to face backwards into it, while an old woman left her house and was completely unable to take a step forward, her shopping bags blown backwards like crazy. In both cases I felt really anxious just watching and we're getting those really deep roars now around the house as it builds. I do hope people stay safe.

Awww, happy birthday!

Echoing what others have said, a gloomy, grey, cold day in Surbiton. I miss last week's crisp winter days. The local parks are still a sticky, muddy mess so the rainfall of not that long ago has still not drained away. To add insult to injury, my brother-in-law in Athens just skyped to show us all the snow around him - he lives on the beach and the Athens schools are closed for two days!

Indeed. I found a dead bumble bee along the prom yesterday in Bournemouth and this lunchtime in Surbiton a bee in the garden peered in through our window. In the meantime, flies are still hovering over food in the house as if it's summer. But I remain optimistic - as others have noted, we've had some more seasonal weather of late plus the prospects this week are looking positive and cold uppers seem easier to get hold of than this time last year - so fingers crossed, or is it all just wishful thinking?

The view west at Basingstoke as we exit the storm along the M3.

Same here! Cars and rooftops with an icing sugar dusting to wake up to this morning in Surbiton. I just checked the radar and those out and about early doors would have caught the snow around 6-6.30, all done with by 7.

Really beautiful views from Durleigh this morning. As Beka reports, we too caught rather a lot of the sharp showers on our walk from Bournemouth to Sandbanks.

Indeed. Went out for our after lunch walk, checked the radar, nothing nearby, 10 minutes later the heavens opened from a little cell that turned up all by itself. Note to self, pack a rain coat regardless of what the radar is saying...

Flooded roads galore between Surbiton and Kingston this morning with plenty more rain still to come judging by the radar.

Absolutely hammering down in Surbiton with the odd rumble of thunder. Got lucky with only my second walk around Kingston in 2021, it stayed dry bar the odd shower and felt good to be out again.

Indeed, large puddles and minor flooding of drives, gardens and roads very evident on our walk this evening; next door's garden looks to have had a swimming pool installed. Pics below - one as the cell rumbled off to the south east, the other of one of the local flooded road.