Uk Convective General Discussion & Forecasts - April 2012 part 3

[chionomaniac]

Yes Ed

Not moaning at all, would just like something "on home ground for once"

In 2 weeks time I will be in the thick of the action again so not too bothered, it's just nice to see such storm intensities early in Spring, it bodes well for summer if we can get some heat and juice with a Trough and 80/57f Dewpoints etc, you just never know what might happen this Summer.

Could be like the good old days like 1992 - 2000 for instance.

Yes it is frustrating when we miss home grown storms.

Any way, I have a little longer to wait, but deposit paid for 2013!

[A.J]

I've been watching clouds tower up all day over the fells only for them to drift eastwards pretty quickly, the suns been out for the best part of 2 hours now so surface heating is ample for some beefy convection. Things are looking promising ATM deffo the best it's been all day with towering CN to my west - Heres hoping....

aye.....maybe another 'May 9th' monster will spring up later on...unlikely, but never say die!

[liambailey09]

Small cell just approaching now and beyond that a larger one. Just hoping they don't decay before they reach me.

[Liam J]

aye.....maybe another 'May 9th' monster will spring up later on...unlikely, but never say die!

Last May was awesome!! I'll take that again please

Good luck matey

Huge dry slot now over most of Cumbria.... Darn it

Edited April 20, 2012 by Liam J

[matty40s]

two webcam worth watching, one very good quality one on the thames at chelsea moves, showing several cells passing to the north..

http://www.thechelseatile.com/chelsea-river-thames-london-webcam.html

and maidenhead light airport - currently at the north side of a strong PPT cell

http://www.wlac.co.uk/wlac/webcam/

[Supacell]

i'm in Lincolnshire just outside Gainsborough but unfortunately there are no sferics showing here or on there way here. All the storm activity is around the Wash which is about 70/80 miles away from me. Disappointed so far but I am going to hang around here in the hope Lincolnshire or East Yorkshire gets something later.

Can here plenty of sferics on AM radio but I think its picking up those around the Wash.

Edited April 20, 2012 by Supacell

[Eskimo]

two webcam worth watching, one very good quality one on the thames at chelsea moves, showing several cells passing to the north..

http://www.thechelse...don-webcam.html

and maidenhead light airport - currently at the north side of a strong PPT cell

http://www.wlac.co.uk/wlac/webcam/

Possibly the best webcam I have ever seen that London one.

[matty40s]

Possibly the best webcam I have ever seen that London one.

with a lovely big cell approaching...

I favourited it a while back as a friend of mine was cruising from limehouse to teddington, gave a virtual wave as they went past.

Edited April 20, 2012 by matty40s

[Eskimo]

Small cell just approaching now and beyond that a larger one. Just hoping they don't decay before they reach me.

Got my eye on that one, only 9 miles to your East.

[Kain]

with a lovely big cell approaching...

Except they have just turned the camera to face the opposite direction!

[matty40s]

Except they have just turned the camera to face the opposite direction!

it jumps around and turns east, focuses on a few bits of London then slowly returns to the default position.

[Paul Sherman]

Yes it is frustrating when we miss home grown storms.

Any way, I have a little longer to wait, but deposit paid for 2013!

Nice 1 Ed!

Cannot wait to get back, those Kansas Twisters were mean last Saturday, and much like 23rd May 2008 (Almost Identical Set-Up) almost zero Lightning, so much shear it seems to take the electricity out of those storms and they are just grungy looking Tornado Machines.

Anyhoos back on topic and as the forcing moves away so are the showers presently, would expect only the Northern Home Counties to be in the mix in the next few hours, maybe a few pokey showers through Hampshire swinging up towards the London area again.

Great Start to 2012 though and I hope all this action transfers to other areas (Midlands etc) so everyone can get some action through the late Spring and Early Summer.

[saint]

Had a few cells pass through here today. First around 12:30 had a few flashes and rumbles, but no real rain, and I think it just skirted round us. Second was at about 1:30 and was a verry heavy hail shower, much like yesterday's, with the odd rumble. Third is just passing through now, and like the second, is really just hail.

Edited April 20, 2012 by saint

[cloudsabove]

Back from mini-chase, storm moved just west of me but saw some instability before the rain hit, plus some CG, and IC lightning, with one of those earth shaking long rumbles which seemed to shake the car and earth! Now raining a lot, waiting for it to pass for more photo ops

[Robbie Garrett]

Incredible!! Another Thunderstorm in SE London.10th of the year.

[BlueHedgehog074]

These thundery showers/thunderstorms do seem to really enjoy visiting London. Must be there favourite place. Just hope one day they get bored of London and decide to do some visiting in the Midlands.

(although, to be fair, I had come across one rumble of thunder and flash of lightning around the Tamworth area yesterday).

Edited April 20, 2012 by Rainbow Snow

[Costa Del Fal]

I think it seriously needs asking now why on Earth every single day the best conditions always peak in the East?

It always looks good in the West but dies down by early afternoon. Why do Troughs always reach the East in time for the best conditions?

Im seriously bored of seeing the same old places see everything. And then in Mid Wales when there is supposedly all this potential, nothing is forming???? This morning there was loads of precip in Wales but it all turns into one big cloudy moderate rainfest.

Even despite different wind directions, different amounts of energy, NOTHING will happen here yet London is now seeing its 10th storm of the year already. What does it need to get things going here?

Edited April 20, 2012 by Blizzards

[A.J]

I think it seriously needs asking now why on Earth every single day the best conditions always peak in the East?

It always looks good in the West but dies down by early afternoon. Why do Troughs always reach the East in time for the best conditions?

Im seriously bored of seeing the same old places see everything. And then in Mid Wales when there is supposedly all this potential, nothing is forming???? This morning there was loads of precip in Wales but it all turns into one big cloudy moderate rainfest.

Even despite different wind directions, different amounts of energy, NOTHING will happen here yet London is now seeing its 10th storm of the year already. What does it need to get things going here?

Perhaps it's because Londoners are full of hot air, thus aiding convection?

[Costa Del Fal]

Perhaps it's because Londoners are full of hot air, thus aiding convection?

Im full of hot air right now! :lol:

I know the UHI must have some effect but im sure Birmingham, Black Country has one to an extent but maybe im wrong because it seems to do the opposite by weakening every bit.

[MP-R]

Two big hailstorms today but mostly sunny in between and very little else happening now. I suppose the southeast deserve some interesting weather for once though as there hasn't been any since about last September.

[Andy Bown]

Thing is Blizzards I bet you have had some heavy showers and heard thunder at some stage in the last 10 days or so?

Some of us have not heard a single rumble and have had all manner of heavy thundery showers pass to the N/W/E/S in varying

wind directions and conditions!

The heaviest rain here in the last 10 days came when the LOW centre was directly overhead during Wednesday, all the showery

days have brought just a few sharp showers with a few hailstones - but lots and lots of wonderful cloudscapes /views in all the other

directions!

I posted earlier about activity seemingly decaying in the SW, however there's been a continual area of development in the Taunton

area which has pushed cells, some with lightning, towards Wells and then SE Somerset/S Wiltshire.

[Costa Del Fal]

Thing is Blizzards I bet you have had some heavy showers and heard thunder at some stage in the last 10 days or so?

Some of us have not heard a single rumble and have had all manner of heavy thundery showers pass to the N/W/E/S in varying

wind directions and conditions!

The heaviest rain here in the last 10 days came when the LOW centre was directly overhead during Wednesday, all the showery

days have brought just a few sharp showers with a few hailstones - but lots and lots of wonderful cloudscapes /views in all the other

directions!

I posted earlier about activity seemingly decaying in the SW, however there's been a continual area of development in the Taunton

area which has pushed cells, some with lightning, towards Wells and then SE Somerset/S Wiltshire.

Weve had Moderate showers at best, no torrential ones. Very little hail either. To be fair I had one rumble last week but no lightning was seen and it was the smallest of cells and didnt even hit here full on. I wouldnt be complaining if I had seen even just one decent storm.

But why do troughs never arrive here at mid-late afternoon??? Its always in the East where it magically seems to be for the best conditions.

Edited April 20, 2012 by Blizzards

[A.J]

Im full of hot air right now!

I know the UHI must have some effect but im sure Birmingham, Black Country has one to an extent but maybe im wrong because it seems to do the opposite by weakening every bit.

The answer is actually very technical, and relies on air mass boundaries and their interaction with the 11 year solar cycle & plate tectonics and their relationship with the planet Nibiru , not forgetting quantum fluctuations in a parallel universe, but in laymans terms, the simple answer is because the West Midlands absolutely SUCKS!

[Cheshire Freeze]

That's all well & good Liam, but I'm sat here scratching my head as to why nothing is firing in Mid-Wales, energy, lift, cold pool aloft thus steep lapse rates & plenty of diurnal heating is present in that area, the only thing missing is some surface convergence, but whilst that aids convection, it's not essential.....Towers are trying to go up but they're messy and quickly collapsing but there seems to be little or no cap in place...there might be a pocket of some mid-level warmer air perhaps....I haven't got access to the full NMM model to look at the atmos profiles....

...Neil aka victor meldrew...give it a rest mate, it's the same old speel from you every summer....in this current convective period of weather, the south eastern quadrant has had the bulk of the convective action, it's simply a case of atmospheric parameters being in place for the SE area

I feel your frustration....when I got up this morning I thought to myself 'right this looks promising, it's the day we'll see a storm'......but we didn't. Like you say I don't see any reason for this situation to keep happening like it has done for the past couple of years with the west getting some crumbs whilst the east and south east get the main meal. It's wearing thin on me now......

[Supacell]

Just north of Lincoln. Still seen no thunderstorms, just heavy showers and a bit of hail. There is something moving this way from Nottingham way though. Warm and sunny here, i am just hoping there is still enough instability out there.