Wow What a Storm!

This afternoon we experinced one of the most 'eventful' storms I've ever witnessed, it was a proper biblical, wrath of God, no holds barred affair!!

For 30-40 minutes we had almost uninterupted thunder to the point where there were several 'claps/rumbles' of thunder overlapping one another and the lightening was just as continuous, I've never experienced a storm that was so intense. Half way through it felt very oppressive, the cloud seemed low enough to touch, at one point there was a very black cloud with a 'tail' that started to rotate as it drifted over, it looked like the early stages of a small twister but luckily it didn't develop.

The rain was also probably the heaviest I've experienced too, much of the back garden was under a couple of inches within minutes and by the end of the storm my 3 empty rain butts were full and overflowing

Just before the storm approached the temperature in the garden was very, very warm and humid and then minutes before the storm started the temperature plummeted very quickly!

Here's some photos of the approaching storm, the photos appear a little lighter than it actually was.











I love watching storms and this one was truly awesome

 

Ohhh.. I love a good storm! The best one I've ever seen was in Newcastle, I was staying in the Holiday Inn on the A1 on one of the top floors so I had a ring side seat. As I was watching a bolt of lightening hit the ground and a massive cloud of steam rose up! Spectacular!

 

WOOH

 

D'ya know Michael, if a funnel came down I would have said you had a tornado heading your way ... glad you didn't and all was safe and sound! xx If you hear a train coming, take cover ...

 

Best one I saw in the UK was in Sheffield one time. It was much like Bilbo describes, and I was duly impressed

Best one I saw ever though was while on holiday on the Greek island of Zakynthos/Zante. We could feel it coming (that unmistakable 'close' feeling in the air) as we went about our leisurely evening having a drink and a bite to eat in various bars. All the bar owners and staff were panicking a bit and taking tables and chairs indoors.

We went to one bar on a hill side, and sat outside drinking cocktails. It was late, and most people had gone home for the night. As people were leaving the owner of the bar was quickly stowing the vacated tables and chairs away, and he kept looking at the sky with a very worried look on his face. That was it. The suspense had got the better of my so I asked him why everyone seemed so worried about the likelihood of a bit of rain. The bar owner explained it thusly: "You know in England, you think you know rain? You think it pours down? We would call your rain a light drizzle. Here, when it rains, things get destroyed".

We continued to enjoyed our cocktails as we watched fork lighting dance across the sea and around the neighbouring island of kefalonia, and we were entertained by the fact that mains power kept faltering, threatening to cast us into darkness when the lights flickered. Still no rain where we were.

We finished our cocktails, and I helped the man stow the rest of his furniture away (I got a few cigarettes for that). Then we got a taxi back to our digs.

We got in, I got my shoes off, and decided I might go and have a smoke on the balcony. That's when what sounded like a low flying harrier jump jet arrived. The roar was immense. I looked outside, and it wasn't a plane at all. As far as I could gather, it was not exactly rain. By some strange magical force, something had lifted the entirety of the Agean sea, held it above the island, and let it go.

 

....love it...Bilbo

We had one here earlier but not as good as yours.....

 

Yeah in Italy it is the same, a wind comes and the locals start taking all the goods inside and remove the tables and umberella's then half an hour later whoosh the biggest storm you have witnessed,
I personally enjoy it thunder lightning and heavy rains storm clears the air
magnificent photo opportunities

Jack McH

 

I enjoyed a storm from afar in Thailand once. I was sitting on the beach and I caught this shot by setting the camera on a slow shutter speed

 

Cor Brilliant shot Yvonne.

 

Great photo Yvonne

 

Thanks guys, I've just realised 'the plough' has also been captured, never noticed that before! Weather is fabulous isn't it!

 

Oh yes, I see it now. You were looking North then

 

Can't beat a good storm.

The best I expereinced was in Guangzhou in China a few years back. Lightning strikes every couple of seconds and the thunder was so loud we gave up trying to talk and just watched the show. I also got caught sailing in a tropical storm in Thailand a week later with my old man, that's another story though...