Uk Convective General Discussion & Forecasts - April 2012 part 3

[mattyk1985]

Nothing much happening here. A short, sharp hail and rain shower at about 12:45 but nothing has happened since despite the sky appearing dark and threatening on occasions. Overall a different and rather poor set up in comparison with yesterday.

It doesn't look too promising on the radar either, can't see it happening today.

[Tilly]

finally some action for us! we had a few big rumbles about half an hour ago, enough to dim the lights and knock the internet out. That'll do it was lovely and sunny for about 5 mins after and has now gone black again. We've had lots of hail and heavy rain this week but this is the first bit of thunder and lightning. Here are some pics I took yesterday... so gutted I only had my phone and not my camera!!

[MP-R]

Now turned sunny and quite breezy with huge cbs tracking to the north and south. Not long before I call game over here.

[Neilsouth]

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG Best storm of the last two years!!

HUGE bolts of lightning, Shotgun earthshakers, Fire alarms and smoke in the distance... Constant rumbles, WICKED :D

[nimbus20]

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG Best storm of the last two years!!

HUGE bolts of lightning, Shotgun earthshakers, Fire alarms and smoke in the distance... Constant rumbles, WICKED

Is there a doctor in the house? Far too much excitement

(Although I must admit I was rather expecting to read the phrase "I don't believe it" bearing in mind the nickname )

Enjoy it whilse it lasts

Edited April 22, 2012 by nimbus20

[Neilsouth]

Don't get storms like that very often which used to happen every year , so excitement

[Eskimo]

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG Best storm of the last two years!!

HUGE bolts of lightning, Shotgun earthshakers, Fire alarms and smoke in the distance... Constant rumbles, WICKED

This is not how I usually see Victor Meldrew.

[Chris K]

First bolt of lightning of 2012 and huge rumble of thunder. Did not expect it at all the way things were going....very dark out there but it is moving on now.

Edit: Wow torrential hail now starting and have had a few more rumbles!

Edited April 22, 2012 by Bugganuts

[gottolovethisweather]

I do understand what you're saying, I honestly do, but IMHO april shower scenario storms are like a quick fumble in the back alley after pub closing hours...looks great from a distance, flashes a nice bit of cleavage, but one disappointing bang and the novelty has gone.....where as Spanish plume scenario are like a quality curry.....you look forward to it all day, you can smell it in the air, the anticipation mounts, it arrives and the spices causes fireworks to slam you right between the eyes and then you get the loud rumbles that continue all night long!

AJ, does your current wife ever read your netweather posts, just curious?

This forum is an interesting place today with some posts about fleeting glances of mamma, coalition taxed Thunder and time lapse dances in the rain.

Me, I achieved a one flash wonder at approx. 2.30pm in my patch so overall, another eventful day.

Cheers

gottolovethisweather

PS. even MKsnowangel looks like she's currently joining in on the Thundery fun.

Edited April 22, 2012 by gottolovethisweather

[Thundery wintry showers]

I've seen what looked like a funnel cloud over towards Gateshead- not sure if it was a genuine tornado or an effect of smoke though?

I do understand what you're saying, I honestly do, but IMHO april shower scenario storms are like a quick fumble in the back alley after pub closing hours...looks great from a distance, flashes a nice bit of cleavage, but one disappointing bang and the novelty has gone.....where as Spanish plume scenario are like a quality curry.....you look forward to it all day, you can smell it in the air, the anticipation mounts, it arrives and the spices causes fireworks to slam you right between the eyes and then you get the loud rumbles that continue all night long!

I won't attempt to deny that the "Spanish plume" setup is no.1 for bringing major convective activity to the British Isles, but on the other hand, they can sometimes be like arranging a special night out at the pub with some old friends you haven't seen for years, only for it to be cancelled at the very last minute. You look forward to it all day, you can smell it in the air, the anticipation mounts, but the convection never breaks through the cap and you end up with a dry sunny day followed by mundane frontal rain overnight as the approaching Atlantic system moves through. It's especially common this early in the season, when French thunderstorms struggle to make it over the relatively cool waters of the English Channel.

The setup with slack slow-moving low pressure with Britain lying to the north of the polar front isn't as conducive to severe convective storms, but I suggest that it occupies second place after the Spanish plume, and as the 21st August 2000 and 15th June 2009 showed, it can occasionally deliver very potent thundery activity- perhaps not on the scale of the 7th June 1996 (say) but not far short.

For repeated Spanish plumes what we'd really need is a persistent Atlantic trough with high pressure to the east, and the trough being close enough to influence our weather but not dominate it. It's certainly a more 'ideal' setup for severe convective weather than what we've currently got, but then again what we've currently got holds a lot more promise than the one that Stormmad26 described (high pressure nearby and stratocumulus around its periphery).

[weatherobsuk]

A couple of rumbles here about a hour ago from a developing CB, didn't develop into anything sadly but thunder is thunder regardless.

[Evening thunder]

I do understand what you're saying, I honestly do, but IMHO april shower scenario storms are like a quick fumble in the back alley after pub closing hours...looks great from a distance, flashes a nice bit of cleavage, but one disappointing bang and the novelty has gone.....where as Spanish plume scenario are like a quality curry.....you look forward to it all day, you can smell it in the air, the anticipation mounts, it arrives and the spices causes fireworks to slam you right between the eyes and then you get the loud rumbles that continue all night long!

I certainly do agree there, nothing better than a successful Spanish plume! your build up kind of reminds me of them in the past.. I guess I have just learnt to appreciate what I get probably because of the huge lack of these storms in the last several years, I kind of gave up slightly and forgot the buzz they can bring. Last may was the first overhead storm from a similar set up for ages. However despite supposedly learning from disappointment maybe I give April showers set-ups like this too much hope for an overhead storm

I just think if you happen to be in the right place you can get a decent show from these set up's and was trying to point that out, as a few recent post's I've seen have shown, however they are often quite localised and you usually don't know until it's happening! I really hope we get some Spanish plumes and set-ups conductive to strong and evening storms this year, although these little ones dotted about are a good start will do as starters before the main courses later! (I say in hope..)

Edit: what TWS says above is very true, I think the 15th June 2009 is one of the most widespread days of thunder I've seen, Just a shame the one that rolled over my school that day (during one of the recent years where they were otherwise rather lacking) coincided precisely with my exam!) It was very frustrating hearing the thunder rumbling away and just about being able to see the rain streaming down outside the window.

Edited April 22, 2012 by Stormmad26

[SnowJoke]

Thunder rumbling away to the south west & north east of MK in the last 15mins, heavy line of convection seems to have split as it approached MK, one cells to my south over Buckingham the others gone north towards Olney

[Lauren]

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG Best storm of the last two years!!

HUGE bolts of lightning, Shotgun earthshakers, Fire alarms and smoke in the distance... Constant rumbles, WICKED

This appears to have missed me

I can't get access to a radar at the moment, is anything heading my way?

[A.J]

I've seen what looked like a funnel cloud over towards Gateshead- not sure if it was a genuine tornado or an effect of smoke though?

I won't attempt to deny that the "Spanish plume" setup is no.1 for bringing major convective activity to the British Isles, but on the other hand, they can sometimes be like arranging a special night out at the pub with some old friends you haven't seen for years, only for it to be cancelled at the very last minute. You look forward to it all day, you can smell it in the air, the anticipation mounts, but the convection never breaks through the cap and you end up with a dry sunny day followed by mundane frontal rain overnight as the approaching Atlantic system moves through. It's especially common this early in the season, when French thunderstorms struggle to make it over the relatively cool waters of the English Channel.

The setup with slack slow-moving low pressure with Britain lying to the north of the polar front isn't as conducive to severe convective storms, but I suggest that it occupies second place after the Spanish plume, and as the 21st August 2000 and 15th June 2009 showed, it can occasionally deliver very potent thundery activity- perhaps not on the scale of the 7th June 1996 (say) but not far short.

For repeated Spanish plumes what we'd really need is a persistent Atlantic trough with high pressure to the east, and the trough being close enough to influence our weather but not dominate it. It's certainly a more 'ideal' setup for severe convective weather than what we've currently got, but then again what we've currently got holds a lot more promise than the one that Stormmad26 described (high pressure nearby and stratocumulus around its periphery).

Blatant plagiarism....where's my lawyer!

...another rather heavy shower has passed through...just rain though

[Aaron]

I've seen what looked like a funnel cloud over towards Gateshead- not sure if it was a genuine tornado or an effect of smoke though?

I won't attempt to deny that the "Spanish plume" setup is no.1 for bringing major convective activity to the British Isles, but on the other hand, they can sometimes be like arranging a special night out at the pub with some old friends you haven't seen for years, only for it to be cancelled at the very last minute. You look forward to it all day, you can smell it in the air, the anticipation mounts, but the convection never breaks through the cap and you end up with a dry sunny day followed by mundane frontal rain overnight as the approaching Atlantic system moves through. It's especially common this early in the season, when French thunderstorms struggle to make it over the relatively cool waters of the English Channel.

The setup with slack slow-moving low pressure with Britain lying to the north of the polar front isn't as conducive to severe convective storms, but I suggest that it occupies second place after the Spanish plume, and as the 21st August 2000 and 15th June 2009 showed, it can occasionally deliver very potent thundery activity- perhaps not on the scale of the 7th June 1996 (say) but not far short.

For repeated Spanish plumes what we'd really need is a persistent Atlantic trough with high pressure to the east, and the trough being close enough to influence our weather but not dominate it. It's certainly a more 'ideal' setup for severe convective weather than what we've currently got, but then again what we've currently got holds a lot more promise than the one that Stormmad26 described (high pressure nearby and stratocumulus around its periphery).

All down to what we remember but our best storms here always come from the south, even storms that originate from the Bristol Channel make it up here as opposed to the ones in the Irish Sea that fizzle before reaching here and ones from the NW. the Spanish plume last year failed to deliver here but as we all remember the SE fared well

Edited April 22, 2012 by Aaron

[saint]

Looking towards the cell over Aylesbury way, hopefully it doesn't fizzle out.

[Eskimo]

Looking towards the cell over Aylesbury way, hopefully it doesn't fizzle out.

Have a feeling that won't hit you and dive towards Luton instead.

[saint]

Have a feeling that won't hit you and dive towards Luton instead.

Yup, think you're right! It may just clip us.

[Eskimo]

Yup, think you're right! It may just clip us.

In fact I'm now in line for it.

[Paul Sherman]

Well that was fun. Went around a friends in Shoeburyness to help him put up a Gazebo, told him we had 10 mins looking at the sky, said Storm arrived with marble sized Hail (5mm) and 1 very close Cg Lightning Bolt that struck whilst I was holding the Metal supports, not good but fun trying to guy rope the damn thing down - Lolz

Cells seem to be decaying around here now but a fun afternoon.

Paul S

[liambailey09]

Nice shelf could with a lot of scud just to my NW, don't think it's going to come to anything though. Seems to be decaying.

Edited April 22, 2012 by liambailey09

[saint]

Large drops of rail here, mixed with what looks like some hail.

[Snowangel-MK]

PS. even MKsnowangel looks like she's currently joining in on the Thundery fun.

Just the one big bang and it was all over for me

Thunder rumbling away to the south west & north east of MK in the last 15mins, heavy line of convection seems to have split as it approached MK, one cells to my south over Buckingham the others gone north towards Olney

Yep, and I'm in the south east...I didn't even see a flash or get any rain/hail here and sadly was too busy to go out and chase

[Eskimo]

This wasn't a storm, just produced heavy rain and big hail, was decaying over my town but it produced a decent gust front which isn't brilliantly clear on this picture.

Edited April 22, 2012 by Eskimo