South East and East Anglia Regional Discussion 13th March 2013

[Ice BIast]

Absolutely CHUCKING it down now, completety makes up for Monday. Possibly the heaviest snow I've ever seen!

[Vesuvius]

Heavy snow here. Struggling to settle

[Kent Snow]

Graupel just started to fall in Canterbury. So fabulous clouds this afternoon.

[PLANET THANET]

Absolutely CHUCKING it down now, completety makes up for Monday. Possibly the heaviest snow I've ever seen!

I agree its beggining to cover the grass and laying on the roofs

[hernebaylooby]

we just had a graupel shower in herne bay, looks like its either side of us again lol

[Vesuvius]

Starting to settle here. Intensity of the snow winning the day

[recoil76]

Heavy snow in Herne Bay, big flakes as well

[Snowman.]

Snowing lightly but cant settle way to wet from a sleet shower earlier.

[craigore]

ive just had snow flakes the size of dustbin lids , lawn has turned white and hedges , though roads and payvments are wet..

[recoil76]

Nothing settling, but coming down fairly heavy, switching between big flakes and sleet.

[Southender]

Been a crazy day here in Southend. We have had every shower type going. From huge Hail and Graupel to huge snow flakes and sleet. Light and very heavy. Along with warm sunshine in between!

Edited March 13, 2013 by Shrimper

[Neilsouth]

Heavy snow in Herne Bay, big flakes as well

Same, didn't last though... shame

I remember one year when a snow shower traveled all the way from up north and deepend over kent. Gave us 5cm!

[Snowman.]

ive just had snow flakes the size of dustbin lids , lawn has turned white and hedges , though roads and payvments are wet..

Lucky.

Damn that sleet shower made me lose some chances of a new fix.

[Coast]

ive just had snow flakes the size of dustbin lids

Golf balls, dustbin lids?? any advance on that?

[alexisj9]

Just had a heavy shower started as rain finished as very sleety snow.

[recoil76]

All stopped now but great to watch for the 5 mins it lasted

[Kent Snow]

Big snow flakes now falling!

[Jo S]

Heavy snow showers here ,best thick snow ive seen so far

[WillinGlossop]

Look at those showers lining up in succession..... Wowza.....

[chilly milly]

We've had plenty of fluff and stuff this afternoon. Waiting to see what comes next.

[WillinGlossop]

Incoming......

[alexisj9]

2004 thundersnow event.

Back in 2004, an area of the U.K. happened to get a very bizarre thundersnow mix. In an unusual concoction of warm and cooler air colliding--this particular area (reportedly in the southern regions of the U.K) received everything from blue lightning, heavy snow, ice pellets and tornadoes. While Britain is usually one of those "between a rock and a hard place" areas of the world where the warm and cold collide (a little like Oregon in the NW U.S.)--meteorologists still were perplexed how that extreme case of thundersnow happened in that area of Western Europe.

No other reported thundersnow events have been reported in Europe yet. But thundersnow accompanied by a tornado has an interesting structure--almost by natural design. Extratropical tornadoes are some of the most dangerous kind today (and most common)--because they happen in regions of the United States that have no tropical or polar weather influence. A typical thundersnow structure involves the snow nestled in the NW corner of a tornado when seen on a satellite. The reason it's always in the NW quadrant of the tornado is because of the comma shape the tornado has--creating a convenient space there for the snow front to more or less "join" the twister as one. It's beautiful design with destructive power.

Another fascinating piece of meteorological structure comes in how snow in a thundersnow event frequently creates a mute effect for any thunder you hear accompanying the front. This is a unique form of science in the study of natural sounds and how something we associate with power and loudness (claps of thunder) can seemingly by deliberate design be muted by something associated with gentleness and fun.

http://voices.yahoo.com/thundersnow-rare-weather-event-forms-its-878783.html

[Dan the Man]

Huge flakes here in LU2 and coming down very heavy. 50p size. Got to be way up on the snow scale.

Bright sunshine about 30 minutes ago, however seemed to be CBs building up in the background - thought there would be a thunderstorm.

[alexisj9]

I remember that event being forcast, I think it was by hamond, how excited he was about this really rare event was going to happen.

[Snowjinx]

Bizarre was just hailing quite heavily here in NW London now it's snowing!