Uk Convective General Discussion & Forecasts, 17th July 2012>

[Carl46Wrexham]

spot on,

heavy thundery showers mentiond in the beeb forcast for NW england by her on the telly,

I just laughed

Whenever I hear these forecasters with their thundery weather forecasts, I just mock them out loud now. Just can't take them seriously anymore. They're supposed to be the professionals at this weather malarkey, but isn't it strange how when we amateurs make our own predictions regarding thunderstorms and where they won't happen, we are 100% correct each and every time.

Edited July 18, 2012 by Carl46Wrexham

[Supacell]

Its been sunny here this afternoon but does not feel humid, which is expected with a dp of just 10c. All the action is across Central parts it seems, but i didnt honestly expect anything here today.

There is a possibility of another bout for areas slightly further north if the showers moving in just south of Chester can electrify as they spread east giving a possible evening storm for the North Midlands with still a decent amount of CAPE around. The storm cell just moving out of Notts into Lincs (yes Lincs can you believe it ) is looking tasty and I reckon that could develop severe characteristics as it heads towards the Wash

(Edit: Although it actually looks to be dying on the latest radar)

Edited July 18, 2012 by Supacell

[multi cellular thunderstorm]

Well that was a hugely frustrating chase.

Driven 60 miles and been out about 4 hours, and only heard one rumble of thunder, and didn't see any lightning.

Every country road around here seems to have 10ft high hedges on either side of the road so I rarely got a good view of what was going on.

Just as I gave up and headed back to Nottingham, I drove through a huge shower and that's where I heard my single rumble. I am also almost positive I saw a funnel a good way down from the cloud in my wing mirror, but as I was on a busy road with nowhere to stop I couldn't look for long or get any pics. I would have probably seen that from my window had I stayed in, I have a good view in that direction. I would also have seen a lot of close lightning strikes from my window looking back at the lightning detector. To make things worse I started a time lapse out my window before I went out, but decided to take the camera with me so I cancelled the time lapse and I didn't even end up using that camera once!

So as you've probably guessed by now I'm gutted, sorry for that rant!

Oh and that storm which passed Nottingham is now over the area I've been hanging around in all afternoon

[mattyk1985]

Anyone got any ideas why nothing happened(has) North of Lincoln today with all that Cape, long periods of sun and moisture around. Got a Dew point of 17 earlier.

Edited July 18, 2012 by mattyk1985

[Supacell]

Well that was a hugely frustrating chase.

Driven 60 miles and been out about 4 hours, and only heard one rumble of thunder, and didn't see any lightning.

Every country road around here seems to have 10ft high hedges on either side of the road so I rarely got a good view of what was going on.

Just as I gave up and headed back to Nottingham, I drove through a huge shower and that's where I heard my single rumble. I am also almost positive I saw a funnel a good way down from the cloud in my wing mirror, but as I was on a busy road with nowhere to stop I couldn't look for long or get any pics. I would have probably seen that from my window had I stayed in, I have a good view in that direction. I would also have seen a lot of close lightning strikes from my window looking back at the lightning detector. To make things worse I started a time lapse out my window before I went out, but decided to take the camera with me so I cancelled the time lapse and I didn't even end up using that camera once!

So as you've probably guessed by now I'm gutted, sorry for that rant!

Oh and that storm which passed Nottingham is now over the area I've been hanging around in all afternoon

Its the joys (or not so) of storm chasing. I have had a good number of occasions whereby i have driven miles to see nothing and then missed out on something over my house. But the way I think is this - if i didn't storm chase i may have seen the odd couple of storms that have hit my house, but because i do i have so far seen 6 storms (in 2012) and over 50 since 2004 - i have lost count as did not get photos or video of all of them.

Last year (3rd August) I had heard talk all day of severe storms likely over Lincolnshire and so travelled a good hundred and odd miles to the sweet spot. As I was travelling I saw cb's firing up around South Yorkshire but refused to be diverted from my planned spot. When I got there i heard the odd rumble and saw the odd sheet lightning, but found out that a severe storm had gone up around Doncaster and moved slowly north to hit York... to say i was gutted was an understatement.

Problems with this country are the insanely busy roads. I want to chase now as the north midlands looks good for around 3-4 more hours, but I can see that to get through the M62 alone would probably take me a an hour of that

Anyone got any ideas why nothing happened(has) North of Lincoln today with all that Cape, long periods of sun and moisture around. Got a Dew point of 17 earlier.

Take a look at Brickfielders post from earlier. He was spot on when he mentioned a number of caveats to todays developments and that today would not be a classic storm day. Isolated thunderstorms the order of the day with only a very few getting one.

Edited July 18, 2012 by Supacell

[Mapantz]

Teken by a friend near Exning in Suffolk, just before 6pm.

[multi cellular thunderstorm]

Its the joys (or not so) of storm chasing. I have had a good number of occasions whereby i have driven miles to see nothing and then missed out on something over my house. But the way I think is this - if i didn't storm chase i may have seen the odd couple of storms that have hit my house, but because i do i have so far seen 6 storms (in 2012) and over 50 since 2004 - i have lost count as did not get photos or video of all of them.

Last year (3rd August) I had heard talk all day of severe storms likely over Lincolnshire and so travelled a good hundred and odd miles to the sweet spot. As I was travelling I saw cb's firing up around South Yorkshire but refused to be diverted from my planned spot. When I got there i heard the odd rumble and saw the odd sheet lightning, but found out that a severe storm had gone up around Doncaster and moved slowly north to hit York... to say i was gutted was an understatement.

Problems with this country are the insanely busy roads. I want to chase now as the north midlands looks good for around 3-4 more hours, but I can see that to get through the M62 alone would probably take me a an hour of that

You're right, over time we will see more by going out chasing that we would by staying at home, so hopefully I can make up for today another time.

I'm definitely not going back out today, I'm going to take my chances that the stuff out west will hit Nottingham again. Looks decent on radar but no sferics yet.

Thanks for sharing that pic Mapantz, very nice.

Edited July 18, 2012 by multi cellular thunderstorm

[East_England_Stormchaser91]

Some very beefy looking cb's shooting up to the NNW of me here in Borough.

[Lynxus]

Only if all this activity was further south..

When is winter coming? Maybe i have more chance of snow than storms?

[A.J]

lovely cloudscapes to my north...nice big mature Cb's with new flanking updrafts....Looking nice on radar for those underneath them, with torrential rain and some lightning....not heading this way but nice to see some folk in the NW midlands getting some action

[multi cellular thunderstorm]

Praying the storm near Stoke will make it here, after my disappointing chase it would really make my day.

Didn't get many good photos today but I'll share the best of what I did get.

Nice updraught near Harby... (or is it updraft? I'm never sure)

This was the storm that hit Nottingham, this was taken at about 16:40 from a few miles south east of Nottingham...

And this was just as I was moving under it on my way back home. This was at about 17:15...

[mattyk1985]

Only if all this activity was further south..

When is winter coming? Maybe i have more chance of snow than storms?

If the GFS is to be believed, after today this thread will be very quiet for sometime. :-(

Edited July 18, 2012 by mattyk1985

[I remember Atlantic 252]

lovely cloudscapes to my north...nice big mature Cb's with new flanking updrafts....Looking nice on radar for those underneath them, with torrential rain and some lightning....not heading this way but nice to see some folk in the NW midlands getting some action

yeah they are good, north of me as well, going west to east

[Cloud 10]

You're right, over time we will see more by going out chasing that we would by staying at home, so hopefully I can make up for today another time.

I'm definitely not going back out today, I'm going to take my chances that the stuff out west will hit Nottingham again. Looks decent on radar but no sferics yet.

Thanks for sharing that pic Mapantz, very nice.

Looks like your in the firing line again with developing storms just to your west with a good few strikes now showing up.

[Eye to the sky]

Yet more thunder!!,Looking very very dark to my SE.Could well get a direct hit with this one I think,pretty heavy rain too.Anything showing on lightning charts anyone?!

[multi cellular thunderstorm]

Yet more thunder!!,Looking very very dark to my SE.Could well get a direct hit with this one I think,pretty heavy rain too.Anything showing on lightning charts anyone?!

Yep, there's quite a lot of lightning strikes in that line.

Infact I think I just heard some distant thunder

[Eye to the sky]

Yep, there's quite a lot of lightning strikes in that line.

Infact I think I just heard some distant thunder

Looks like you could be in for some action,some pretty impressive lightning to my east now.Centre of the storm just missed us.Plenty more brewing to the south of here too.Enjoy!!

[dapick2002]

Wow! Just got back from following that storm north of spalding ( wash area). I have never driven in rain that heavy before, big hailstones, constant thunder and lightning but best of all plenty of updraft. Someone must have got or should get a funnel from that storm!

[East_England_Stormchaser91]

Wow! Just got back from following that storm north of spalding ( wash area). I have never driven in rain that heavy before, big hailstones, constant thunder and lightning but best of all plenty of updraft. Someone must have got or should get a funnel from that storm!

Yeah, just been on the phone to someone in spalding, saying about huge hail and lots of lightning etc.

[Thundery wintry showers]

Just come down to Norwich for a few days for my graduation with a Meteorology PhD, and I see some pretty hefty thunderstorms on a collision course with Norwich- perhaps some thunder if they can maintain intensity over the next couple of hours? There was also some extremely intense rainfall at around 4:20pm, though I didn't detect any thunder or lightning.

[dapick2002]

I couldnt see much when the rain started but here is near the beginnings

[mackerel sky]

After the shower activity to the north seemed to be dying off about 5pm, I'd written today off. Not had a single storm all year. But impressive skies now, watched a small storm develop to the south over Bedford, and mammatus cloud developing ahead of potential storm activity to the west. I'm fairly confident.

[mattyk1985]

I couldnt see much when the rain started but here is near the beginnings

Nice green tint to it. Bet that produced some hefty hail.

Edited July 18, 2012 by mattyk1985

[multi cellular thunderstorm]

This is brilliant, beautiful structure as the storm moves in and now lightning and thunder getting louder.

I so needed this after my chasing failure today.

Pics coming up after it's passed.

Edited July 18, 2012 by multi cellular thunderstorm

[TonyH]

Just come down to Norwich for a few days for my graduation with a Meteorology PhD, and I see some pretty hefty thunderstorms on a collision course with Norwich- perhaps some thunder if they can maintain intensity over the next couple of hours? There was also some extremely intense rainfall at around 4:20pm, though I didn't detect any thunder or lightning.

Congratulations TWS