Uk Convective General Discussion & Forecasts, 28th June 2012>

[Nick F]

I think over Leicestershire, a High risk could have been warranted!? Great forecast anyway! Really stunning day!

In retrospect, yes a rare high would be warranted given the scale used on the forecast map (hail >5cm), but hard to forecast just how big hail will be - particularly as large hail is uncommon in the UK unlike in USA and perhaps parts of mainland Europe.

If the Storm Prediction Center in the USA did a forecast for the UK today for storms, they would probably have issued a slight risk. Such storms like we've seen across The Midlands today happen regularly across the Plains every spring and summer, so think ourselves lucky that we don't see the likes of today too often! As it does cause an awful lot of disruption and widespread damage.

[Lewis]

As I said last month just after the Oxon supercell, the Met Office's warning system is redundant on days such as today. I've been rather critical of them in the past concerning their forecasts ahead of convective storm risk days, but today I actually felt angry with them.

Golf-ball sized hail, CG lightning, strong convective downdrafts, tornado..... the conditions looked very favourable for this sort of activity several days in advance. I knew it; I'm know quite a few others did too. So that means the Met Office knew. They intentionally withheld crucial information concerning public safety, and for that they might as well not have a warning system at all.

To be fair to the Metoffice they did update their warnings yesterday, and they actually got the mapped out area spot on. With much of the "North" of england and NE England to bear the brunt, with the EAST/SE not in the warning zone because it was always clear they was not going to get anything to ride home about.

I think people can be very critical of the metoffice at times, the weather is so hard to predict, and credit too them for getting their warning area spot on, thunderstorms are very hard to forecast, never mind pin pointing them/forecasting them to a location, if you had models/charts showing something blatantly obvious for example the SE with all the energy and the CF and no where else, it can be done...

Lewis

[Methuselah]

Aye- I completed the move from Cleadon to Sandhutton near Thirsk on the 23rd June, following a brief trip to Norwich, and Sod's law of course threw up the thunderstorm of the century so far in Cleadon, while I was away- lol! Will have to download footage of it from Youtube to at least get some idea of it.

Sandhutton did catch the southern edge of the line of thunderstorms, so there were some rumbles of thunder and some impressive cloud formations, but of course not on the scale of what happened in the North East.

It's always the way, Ian. It seemed like the SE got whoppers every year I was in Scotland. And now I'm here...Sod it!

[Kain]

Well what a day its been! I think Im shatterd after all todays excitement!

[mattyk1985]

A dissappointing day here, with the storms just skirting passed us, heard some thunder but lightning was not very visable, no strong rain or hail either, wish I had got the car out but looking at the size of the hail falling near Nottingham I thought it best not to.

Hope everyone enjoyed their storms today and managed to stay safe.

Still muggy as hell though!

[P-M]

The downside to all of this "excitement" ....... very powerful stuff. I was called once to a report of a tree on fire in Chesham (Bucks) many years ago. We rolled up in attendance and this very large tree had been totally snapped by the lightning and indeed was still on fire! Awesome power!!

Well I attended the properties in the Benwell area to be met with chaos. The drive over was horrific, roads partically washed away in Gatehead and flooding like I have never seen before. The lightening had blew a solar panel up igniting the roof and spreading to the house next door. Was a nightmare, but one of the worst storms I have witnessed for a long long time. Elswick cemetary wall was washed away in sections and there were reports of head stones being washed down on to the road.

On my way back tonight the Marine Unit was out in Felling with a boats out - truly amazing for the NE like..

[Cloud 10]

Had a power cut here for about 30 mins,but thankfully back on now.

"electricity" is word of the day here,closely followed by "water"

[P-M]

Had a power cut here for about 30 mins,but thankfully back on now.

"electricity" is word of the day here,closely followed by "water"

hahaha yeah and the two don't mix!! Was a fantastic storm mind but its the after effects that are sobering I suppose.

[SnowJoke]

Went out this evening around 6:30PM up to brickhill to walk my uncles dog and could see a line of really defined strong convection to the north of MK, was running all the way from the NE down to the SW so possibly the cold front. Sat up on the hill in great brickhill until after the sunset watching the cloud tops illuminating in the setting sun, with crepular rays peeking over the top, looked amazing, just miffed I didn't have my camera with me at the time.

[Backtrack]

Still both annoyed and very upset that I missed out on potentially some of the best storms in the history of the UK today.

You know what I had? 2 light showers and a sunny day. It just isn't fair.

[multi cellular thunderstorm]

A dissappointing day here, with the storms just skirting passed us, heard some thunder but lightning was not very visable, no strong rain or hail either, wish I had got the car out but looking at the size of the hail falling near Nottingham I thought it best not to.

Hope everyone enjoyed their storms today and managed to stay safe.

Still muggy as hell though!

Yes the hail was so much bigger than anything I've seen in the UK. The thuds on the car roof sounded like the thuds we get in the USA on the Netweather storm chase. I think the hail I witnessed was maybe 3cm max, looks like parts of Leicestershire have had double that.

Gutted I missed that Sleaford tornado. Probably because I got caught up in the Olympic torch mayhem in Grantham which was infuriating. Had to sit in stationary traffic while a violent storm kicking out powerful CGs moved away. I did managed to catch up to the back end of it and take some more big hail and a couple of close strikes though. Got a video processing now of my highlights from today, but the video really doesn't do it justice.

Also my Mam left work in Newcastle at 5pm, as of 9pm she still hadn't made it home to Stanley, which normally takes no more than 30 mins.

It's been good down this way but I still wish I had been up there.

[Thundery wintry showers]

Looking at the N-W Extra radar zoomed in on Cleadon's postcode, ironically, it looks as if I haven't missed out on all that much, for the heaviest of the rain appears to have skirted around Cleadon, just to the N and W between 4:30 and 6:30pm, and then to the SE between 7 and 8pm. Cleadon itself would of course have had a major 2-3 hour thunderstorm, but probably not much advance on what I've seen during holidays in France. Neil Bradshaw only reported 9mm of rain at South Shields, which is probably an underestimate but does back up the suggestion that Cleadon itself may have missed the dramatic scenes that unfolded at nearby Jarrow/Pelaw, Gateshead, Newcastle and Sunderland.

[Alex95]

Well I attended the properties in the Benwell area to be met with chaos. The drive over was horrific, roads partically washed away in Gatehead and flooding like I have never seen before. The lightening had blew a solar panel up igniting the roof and spreading to the house next door. Was a nightmare, but one of the worst storms I have witnessed for a long long time. Elswick cemetary wall was washed away in sections and there were reports of head stones being washed down on to the road.

On my way back tonight the Marine Unit was out in Felling with a boats out - truly amazing for the NE like..

Look here, I presume this is the property:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-18634313

[Methuselah]

Still both annoyed and very upset that I missed out on potentially some of the best storms in the history of the UK today.

You know what I had? 2 light showers and a sunny day. It just isn't fair.

Oh stop your whining! I had NO LIGHT SHOWERS and a sunny day...

[Snowangel-MK]

Went out this evening around 6:30PM up to brickhill to walk my uncles dog and could see a line of really defined strong convection to the north of MK, was running all the way from the NE down to the SW so possibly the cold front. Sat up on the hill in great brickhill until after the sunset watching the cloud tops illuminating in the setting sun, with crepular rays peeking over the top, looked amazing, just miffed I didn't have my camera with me at the time.

Lovely up there isn't it .....one of my favourite dog walks - take your camera next time !

[Backtrack]

Oh stop your whining! I had NO LIGHT SHOWERS and a sunny day...

Would rather of had your sunny day! All the rain seemed to do was make the humidity rise even higher and leave a layer of dust on all surfaces!

[P-M]

Look here, I presume this is the property:

http://www.bbc.co.uk...d-tyne-18634313

yeah it is Alza just seen me big head on the local news while onsite, the cameras turned up while I was there lol Seriously though was very dramatic and some streets just look like a war zone. I really feel for people affected as much as I love a storm.

.

[NL]

Looking at the N-W Extra radar zoomed in on Cleadon's postcode, ironically, it looks as if I haven't missed out on all that much,

Oh but you did Ian..!! We didnt have the rain Newcastle,Pelaw,etc,(although the rain was torrential enough to flood my garden) but we had dramatic cloudscapes and frequent lightning and extremely loud thunder. Ive posted some photos on this thread http://forum.netweat...77#entry2326577

[Norfolk Sheep]

Would love someone to do a narrative and time line detailing the factors involved, the development and progression and highlighted events etc (whether there was one or more supercells and so on and such like)

[Hodgheg]

Feel as if i missed out alot today, only a few flashes, Hopefully more storms this summer

[Keraunic]

Feel as if i missed out alot today, only a few flashes, Hopefully more storms this summer

Amen to that. What a day it's been. But, I know it was potentially very serious but I would love to have witnessed it all. Ah well, next time maybe.

[Thundery wintry showers]

Oh but you did Ian..!! We didnt have the rain Newcastle,Pelaw,etc,(although the rain was torrential enough to flood my garden) but we had dramatic cloudscapes and frequent lightning and extremely loud thunder. Ive posted some photos on this thread http://forum.netweat...77#entry2326577

Aye, looks like your version was still a lot more spectacular than mine! I have posted what Sandhutton got into the thread too, for while it was just a half-hour thing here with about two-dozen rumbles of thunder, the cloud formations were pretty good.

I suppose I'm thinking more along the lines that what South Shields/Cleadon got today probably wasn't much of an advance on the 2-3 hour thunderstorms that I've occasionally seen on holidays to France in the past- trying to make the best of the situation really.

[Geordiesnow]

Oh but you did Ian..!! We didnt have the rain Newcastle,Pelaw,etc,(although the rain was torrential enough to flood my garden) but we had dramatic cloudscapes and frequent lightning and extremely loud thunder. Ive posted some photos on this thread http://forum.netweat...77#entry2326577

I be rather surprised if Cleadon only recieved 9MM from this, especially given other areas recieved alot more than that but as you say, TWS has certainly missed out today!

I have to admit, one thing impressed me was the way storm just seemed to change direction so quickly, the clouds were generally heading from a SSW'ly-NNE'ly direction and I assume the storms were two hence I thought I am going to miss out here but they changed direction very sharply it seems and it caught me out, thankfully I got in before the real fun and games started though. Too think before the storms arrived we had an easterly flow, once they did arrive, it switched right around to a westerly!

[stormchaser1]

Evening everyone

Well that was worth the long agonising wait, terrific storm this afternoon, just took me 3 hrs 45 mins to get home from work, usually 20 min journey,. my rain gauge recorded 55 mm rain between 1600hrs and 1830hrs . i work in Jarrow and i only have two ways to get home, through the tunnel, which has just reopend in the last 40mins and through Gateshead

[Liam J]

Just a repost from the Midlands & N England thread, cheers guys

Exceptional weather by UK standards witnessed today! Some of the pictures and footage are unreal, truly amazing and frightening at the same time with images looking much more akin to a USA super cell storm chase rather than being anywhere near our own back gardens!! Thank you to everyone today for the reports, pictures and footage whether found on Youtube or taken by your good selves making me and many other feel like we were really in on the action even though in reality many of us missed out.....

A memorable day indeed for many reasons - RIP to those who lost lives and sympathy to those who have sustained damage to property etc.

Edited June 28, 2012 by Liam J