Stormy Weather II

[Petrushka]

We had a torrential downpour here last night at around 10pm accompanied by terrific crashes of thunder and flashes of lightning. The rain came down like a waterfall for around half an hour.

Rarely, though, have I felt such a clear dividing line between summer and autumn. Yesterday was a glorious summer's day but this morning, after the storm, it's markedly cooler, cloudier and still not fully light, which probably indicates more rain. Moreover, the schools are back (there are five of them within a few minutes walk from my home) and it's a return to traffic-clogged roads again. The Last Night of the Proms is upon us and there is the 'winter from hell' to look forward to.

[Old Grumpy]

Woken up at 1-30 am by slight thunder grumbles and the clatter of rain being blown against the window. All bright and sparkly now and evidence in the garden that there was a decent quantity of free water, thank heavens. Even if the forecast of more rain to come the next couple of days comes to nothing as usual this offering will at least enable me to make a start on the soil prep in the veg beds, ready for the seed raised plants to finally go out. The shortening of the days and the lowering of the temperature makes the moisture last that little bit longer.

"Thank heavens" - literally!

[Serial_Apologist]

More thunderstorms forming! This time surface-based - more random than the last couple of nights, lower and more raggedly cloud bases, cloud tops concealed by our close proximity, the showers moving south to north up the western stretch of the M25, growth probably assisted by forcing up the dip slope of the Chilterns. I would expect this lot to transfer east to cross us this afternoon and evening.

This was one of the best stills of lightning last night, appearing to show one cloud-to-ground bolt and a couple of cloud-to-clouds streaking across the picture. The former would be registered with a loud crack, the latter a long rippling, tearing sound:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weatherwatchers/report/d8bba98d-2bd9-4737-9735-dd5c3ca35e11/

And great film of the advancing leading edge of last night's storm as it approached the Dorset coast - a truly impressive shelf cloud, or roll cloud, as good as any you'll get coming from stormchasers in the States, caused where advancing cold air from the rear of the cold front bearing the storm rams through the warm cloud, forcing air downwards to ground level as a "gust front", and higher up feeding back into the parent cloud to reinforce the energy levels inside it and maintain that rollng, boulster-like appearance. In this case the storm was not particularly intense, as it happened, but the roll or shelf cloud, like the associated wall cloud (or drop-down base), are often indicators of the worst kinds of storm, including the "Derecho" I mentioned a few days ago:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-dorset-62805905

[BBMmk2]

More thunderstorms today.

[Serial_Apologist]

More thunderstorms today.

Not here, as yet, although we had a heavy pre-midday shower, and from the general "feel" and rapid bubbling up of proliferating cumulus I would say they are inevitable this afternoon. As I write we have lightning off the N Somerset coast. Come rain or come shine, somehow I have to get my bike to the repair shop!

[oddoneout]

As usual the blue drips on the forecast didn't materialise, but we did have some rain during the night. Given that Wednesday is my volunteer gardening slot having it dry is useful, not least as the recent wet has got things sprouting and there is a lot of dead material to clear to allow the new growth on the likes of perennial geraniums to get through.
As I have a couple of things to do the next couple of days which need dry conditions I'm wondering if the disappearing act will continue or whether my wish for a couple of dry spells will make the currently rather damp forecast happen! Fortunately it won't be a disaster if what I need to do has to be delayed but for various reasons I would prefer to get them done this week.

[french frank]

I think we had our first proper downpour overnight last night since well before the official drought was declared. For several weeks rain was predicted every day for an entire week ahead, and week after week it amounted to no more than a temporary refreshment of the plants which was soon dried off by wind and sunshine. This morning the buckets and containers had a couple of inches in them.

[Serial_Apologist]

Thunderstorm over BBM's way slowly approaching from the south - probably reach London in the next hour or so. These are reported as being severe. Storms three nights running is a pretty remarkable record!

[oddoneout]

It rained on and off through the night and at the moment the forecast suggests we'll have more at some point today. All this wetness, such a novelty, I'll need to look out a waterproof jacket for my errands this morning, can't remember when I last needed to do that.

[BBMmk2]

Rain, rain, rain! And more rain!!!

[french frank]

It rained on and off through the night and at the moment the forecast suggests we'll have more at some point today. All this wetness, such a novelty, I'll need to look out a waterproof jacket for my errands this morning, can't remember when I last needed to do that.

The night before last it rained so much that one of my potted plants standing in a bucket became so saturated the surface of the compost was under about an inch of water.

[Serial_Apologist]

Last evening's storm turned out to have been less notable than I'd been expecting; I stayed up until the main area of lightning had moved east into the North Sea. Today we again have thunder, but from showers which are now merging into a general morass of slow-moving "thundery rain", as would be expected near to the centre of a low with various troughs and occluded fronts circulating anticlockwise around it, which is expected to be directly centred over London by midnight before likewise exiting into the southern North Sea. I rather liked the metaphor used by one of the weather presenters a couple of days ago likening this low pressure system to a washing machine on repeat rinse!

[BBMmk2]

Stra, rainbows were seen over Balmoral, Windsor and Buckingham Palace, yesterday, soon after HWQs death.

A bit better today.

[oddoneout]

Stra, rainbows were seen over Balmoral, Windsor and Buckingham Palace, yesterday, soon after HWQs death.

A bit better today.

And over the NATO HQ as well apparently. I realise it's only coincidence but rather a nice one even so.
Some rain overnight and a shower just now with the possibility/probability of something more energetic to follow soon and for much of the afternoon. My good deed stepping in to cover staff shortfall later today may come at a price - I'm likely to be doing the outside end of day jobs so will get the full benefit of any wetness...

[Serial_Apologist]

Vigorous thunderstorms now breaking out over Yorkshire and Lancashire might have diverted HMG's journey south from Balmoral had they erupted an hour earlier.

Meanwhile grass growth here is enjoying a sudden spurt following yesterday's rain.