Weird weather

Tony.Williams
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Weird weather

Post by Tony.Williams »

I live high up near the Peak District, a place renowned for rain and cool temperatures. So yesterday's peak of over 28 degrees was unusual, to put it mildly. The promised overnight thunderstorms duly arrived, but were wildly different from anything I've ever experienced. Normally, on the two or three occasions a year when thunderstorms are around, there are just a handful of ground/air flashes over a period of a few minutes, and I can judge the distance by the usual 5-seconds per mile difference between light and sound velocities.

What happened last night is that I was awakened at 03:10 by a series of brilliant flashes. I didn't see them, only the illumination they provided. I decided not to go outside for a better view, partly from fear of being zapped by a celestial taser, partly because the rain was very heavy. At their peak, there was a flash every few seconds, and this went on for more than half an hour - there must have been well over 100 flashes in that time.

What was even more weird is that initially, there was no sound of thunder at all. Just constant, erratic flashes as if a giant floodlight with a loose connection was hovering over the house. Eventually some muted rumbles of thunder could be heard, but they didn't seem to bear much relationship to the flashes.

I presume that what I saw was mostly sheet lightning (cloud to cloud) rather than the usual forked variety, which may account for the minimal sound effects, but the quantity and intensity of the flashes was unique in my experience - by an order of magnitude.
chaggle
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Re: Weird weather

Post by chaggle »

No video Tony? : thdown

I experienced that phenomenon many times in Spain and we had the same here in Somerset last night - at least I saw some flashes through the curtains and no noise.

I don't know how that works - maybe just distance? :con
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chaggle
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Re: Weird weather

Post by chaggle »

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_lightning
The actual phenomenon that is sometimes called heat lightning is simply cloud-to-ground lightning that occurs very far away, with thunder that dissipates before it reaches the observer.[2] At night, it is possible to see the flashes of lightning from very far distances, up to 100 miles (160 kilometres), but the sound does not carry that far.
Must be it.
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Tony.Williams
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Re: Weird weather

Post by Tony.Williams »

chaggle wrote: Wed Jul 24, 2019 3:18 pmMust be it.
Possibly - but I didn't see any flashes, just the way they illuminated my surroundings. The brilliance of that illumination certainly suggested a nearby source.

No doubt if I had a different frame of mind I would have been certain that an alien spacecraft was hovering just overhead... :shock:
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bindeweede
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Re: Weird weather

Post by bindeweede »

Tony.Williams wrote: Wed Jul 24, 2019 8:53 pm
chaggle wrote: Wed Jul 24, 2019 3:18 pmMust be it.
Possibly - but I didn't see any flashes, just the way they illuminated my surroundings. The brilliance of that illumination certainly suggested a nearby source.
It was ceertainly strange here, about 25 miles north of London. Thunder in the distance woke me - I thought it was aircraft taking off from Luton, not many miles away, then I remembered flights don't start until 6am. Then the lightning started - very frequent and brilliant flashes lasting for about 15 minutes. And very heavy rain for a short while.

Back to hot and cloudless today, with temperatures expected to approach 39C tomorrow. Too much.
chaggle
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Re: Weird weather

Post by chaggle »

The little village where we lived in Spain recorded the 8th ever highest temperature ever recorded in the country while we were there in 2012 - 46.6C.

Not a lot got done.

I love it but OH is glad to be out of it.
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bindeweede
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Re: Weird weather

Post by bindeweede »

Just after 11pm. 26C downstairs with help of old A/C unit and fan. Upstairs bedrooms just over 30C. The difference doesn't sound much, but almost unbearable.
Tony.Williams
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Re: Weird weather

Post by Tony.Williams »

Lightning has hidden dangers....

A couple in Florida heard a loud explosion in their house and discovered that their toilet had blown up, scattering ceramic fragments over the bathroom (fortunately, no-one was sitting on it at the time). A plumber reckoned that their outdoor septic tank had been struck by lightning, igniting a pocket of methane gas trapped inside and culminating in the explosion which destroyed their toilet.

So, all those with septic tanks have a new worry - if there's lightning about, don't go near the bathroom, just "cross your legs and grit your teeth and smile" as the song lyric goes...
chaggle
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Re: Weird weather

Post by chaggle »

Mythbusters did this - but a bit differently.

(To switch to full screen, click the Full screen icon in the bottom corner of the video player.

To exit out of full screen, press Esc on your keyboard or click the Full screen icon again.)

I note that some of the comments allude to the methane/drain/septic tank scenario.
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bindeweede
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Re: Weird weather

Post by bindeweede »

Extreme weather in Madrid and Malaga - hail, floods and a tornado.

https://www.theguardian.com/global/vide ... pain-video
Matt
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Re: Weird weather

Post by Matt »

I was in Salou on Tuesday. The rain was heavier than being under a power shower.
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bindeweede
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Re: Weird weather

Post by bindeweede »

Totally OT I suppose, but I'm off on hols to Switzerland on Wednesday. Weather forecast is distinctly chilly for most of the week, but escaping the horrendous shambles in the UK will be so refreshing.
Tony.Williams
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Re: Weird weather

Post by Tony.Williams »

bindeweede wrote: Tue Sep 03, 2019 12:09 am Totally OT I suppose, but I'm off on hols to Switzerland on Wednesday. Weather forecast is distinctly chilly for most of the week, but escaping the horrendous shambles in the UK will be so refreshing.
Are you planning to ask for asylum?
Tony.Williams
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Re: Weird weather

Post by Tony.Williams »

Tony.Williams wrote: Tue Sep 03, 2019 10:09 am
bindeweede wrote: Tue Sep 03, 2019 12:09 am Totally OT I suppose, but I'm off on hols to Switzerland on Wednesday. Weather forecast is distinctly chilly for most of the week, but escaping the horrendous shambles in the UK will be so refreshing.
Are you planning to ask for asylum?
Of course, if all else fails, there's always Dignitas...
chaggle
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Re: Weird weather

Post by chaggle »

Tony.Williams wrote: Tue Sep 03, 2019 7:02 pm
Tony.Williams wrote: Tue Sep 03, 2019 10:09 am
bindeweede wrote: Tue Sep 03, 2019 12:09 am Totally OT I suppose, but I'm off on hols to Switzerland on Wednesday. Weather forecast is distinctly chilly for most of the week, but escaping the horrendous shambles in the UK will be so refreshing.
Are you planning to ask for asylum?
Of course, if all else fails, there's always Dignitas...
:ey :fp :v :lol:
Don't blame me - I voted remain :con
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