Convective/storm Discussion

[RichardW2]

There seems to be not enough humidity for a summer thunderstorm. Dewpoints about 8c here. I will hope for my first storm of the year today if not I will be a bit disappointed as July is normally the most thundery month.

[SteveB]

Just heavy showers passing through here again today. Nothing torrential or thundery about them.

[Andy Bown]

Although there was no lightning/thunder, this morning brought the most interesting sky watching period for a long time as a shower that moved up from the South coast developed into quite a large torrential downpour between 07.15-08.15, the heaviest of which came in the last 15 minutes and gave 15mm in the gauge. If you put BA13 into the NW postcode & select accumulation over the last 12 hours you can see Westbury copped it & I was trying to work outside - at one point the cell reached nearly 100mm per hour rate!

The most interesting aspect came as the sky began to clear from the SW with warm sunshine/rapidly bubbling TCu replacing the rain. With the rain moving away NNE the wind switched to the WSW and backbuilding occured quickly with something resembling a squall line developing from the back edge of the earlier rain cloud & stretching back Westwards just a few miles North. Scud was rising/falling quickly and rain shafts appeared within 5 minutes! The squall line edged SSE and brought a very brief heavy shower here but the rain shafts seemed much heavier nearby. After that cleared the wind was briefly from the West before returning to the SSW.

[dave48]

Yeah, it'll most likely be similar to yesterday with showers intensifying as the progress N. I wouldn't take the risk/forecast area literally as it is just that, a 'risk'. You never know, you may see something interesting today

Nice to see some good breaks in the cloud, hopefully this should help with convective developments for this afternoon, something yesterday had little of for this area, and as a result, only saw some moderate-heavy showers.

I hope I see something, getting bored! I wish the continental air would return, that normally produces something for us. Will keep watching for today anyway.

[SteveB]

Looking at the radar, the showers seem more widespread today. Yesterday's were mostly to the West of me.

[RichardW2]

Dewpoint has dropped to just 7c here. What is going on?

I thought moisture, instability and forcing were necessary for thunderstorms, with this total lack of humidity I can't imagine a lot happening.

[Harry]

Dewpoint has dropped to just 7c here. What is going on?

I thought moisture, instability and forcing were necessary for thunderstorms, with this total lack of humidity I can't imagine a lot happening.

I might be way off here, but I think you can have moisture at mid/high altitudes, despite not much being present at lower altitudes

[sunny starry skies]

A couple of sharp showers moving through here, nothing thundery but am keeping my fingers crossed for later. There's one shower leaving and the next one arriving on the webcam animation:

http://www.geos.ed.ac.uk/abs/Weathercam/wcam.html

Otherwise quite a nice day!

[RichardW2]

I think you've built up a picture in your head that it has to feel warm and humid for there to be a thunderstorm, which totally wrong and misguided.

It would be, but no I don't believe that at all. I am well researched/educated in storms and have witnessed storms when it is snowing too. It just appears there is a lot less humidity here than other areas and this would weaken existing storms moving into dryer air.

I suppose I am frustrated at not having experienced a single storm all year.

[evil monkey]

Thunderstorm passing to the South of me! Completely unexpected

[dave48]

Thunderstorm passing to the South of me! Completely unexpected

The usual east anglia thunderstorms with their typical radar signatures too, an area that often delivers the goods.

[Lynxus]

Looks like theres some much heavier showers off the SW coast spanning from the far S to the N

Hopefully as these move inland we may get something more.

Then again its still only 2:30

Lets see what the magic 5pm brings.

I would of thought the showers would bring some warmer air with them due to their origin and track.

Will be good to see how these pan out as they come into land.

-G

[Methuselah]

Very dark, rain has started, huge anvil to my west. No thunder yet - apart from the usual (lorry over the ramp) false alarms, that is!

[Marcus_surfer]

Just heard a deep rumble of thunder, shower has passed but getting heavier

[karyo]

I thought it would be a lot busier here today! A promising afternoon is coming for many areas!

Once again I am watching the showers over Wales. The sun has also come out eventually which should aid convective developments.

Karyo

[Methuselah]

I have rotation!!!

But no electricity!

[sunny scunny]

It looking pretty hopeless here this afternoon, but maybe something will happen early evening

[SteveB]

http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/content/twm/default/

Just looking at our local paper online, and saw this head line?????????. Not even when we were supposed to have a major outbreak of storm when we had the hot weather, did they report storm warnings.

No warnings from the met office either?.

[Methuselah]

Rain now torrential!

[Lynxus]

Very heavy shower to the W of gloucester.

[skifreak]

Rain now torrential!

I was having a shower, was like WTF is that noise... opened the window and it was RAIN!!

[Methuselah]

That's three cracks of thunder...FOUR thunder-days so-far this year. 4 more than last year!

PS: make that four!

And five!

[CardiffStorm]

Extremely heavy rain here. Came from nowhere really, wasnt drizzling before. Looking at the radar its going to last for a little while.

[Marcus_surfer]

Torrential downpours here, have heard about 5 rumbles of thunder to my southwest, most heaviest showers are hitting Western coastal areas

[CardiffStorm]

Torrential downpours here, have heard about 5 rumbles of thunder to my southwest, most heaviest showers are hitting Western coastal areas

Looking at a couple of lightning detectors there have been some lightning strikes just off the coast near you. Unfortunately im in Cardiff and all im getting is heavy rain.