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Alas, due to my absurd difficulties I've snapped three images from my video until I can get into line. First two are CGs (although I cannot fathom why the second pic, which was so close, only seems to have captured the bottom half of the bolt) while the third is in the midst of what I felt was a downburst.

Alright, so now I've managed to sort the pictures out properly (was posting from my phone earlier!) please find the full set from this afternoons 3.30pm storm over Bexley... So I knew something was going to happen on the way home when I could see the shape and size of this thing, it looked proper Usa style. I stopped on some backstreets I know with the most unobscured view I could get (difficult in the suburbs I know). Panoramic shot... Decided to quickly head home but just had to stop on the main road I was on and take a picture of the storm as it was looking meaner by the second This was the view to the north... Pulled up. Wait whats that to the north east?... Cheeky scud? Then turned to my south and saw scud condensing out on thin air and saw it was startng to rotate. I've seen enough storm chasing videos to know what that meant and quickly got into position as the scud tightend into a rope and a beautiful, but short lived (20-30 seconds at the most) multi vortex funnel cloud formed right infront of me... After I got in the thunder and lighting started and lated a good 30 mins. Very loud. Seems to have headed off to Essex now. I thought today was going to be a total bust but I'm very happy to be proved wrong. Hope others have just as much luck, These storms are wild.

All things come to those who moan apparently ... Unbelievable. Can also hear distant thunder. Happy now. Whoever said moaning was a waste of time?

Storm & Convective Forecast Issued 2017-06-02 06:50:23 Valid: 02/06/2017 06z to 03/06/2017 06z DAY 1 CONVECTIVE/ STORM FORECAST - 02 JUNE 2017 Synopsis Upper longwave trough over the North Atlantic advances eastward towards the UK on Friday, a cold front lying from SE Scotland down across NW England, Wales and far SW England at breakfast time pushes slowly east today, to lie appox. Humber to Dorset by midnight tonight. A warm and humid airmass across SE UK ahead of the cold front will become unstable this afternoon with surface heating, supporting development of a few thunderstorms. … SE ENGLAND and EAST ANGLIA … Warm/moist flow off the near continent across the above areas ahead of the cold front to the west will become increasingly unstable into this afternoon, as temperatures reach the high 20s centigrade in sunshine while low to mid-level lapse rates steepen as colder air arrives aloft with eastward advance of upper trough. GFS develops 300-600 j/kg CAPE this afternoon across the above areas, weak surface convergence and increasing large scale ascent as upper trough approaches from the west should be sufficient to allow a few thunderstorms to develop this afternoon during peak heating. 30-40 knot 500mb SWly flow may organise storms into a few linear clusters capable of producing localised high rainfall rates (20-30mm per/hour) which may lead to localised flooding. Directional shear will be fairly weak though, so storms will tend to produce only small hail and locally gusty winds. But have included a MARGINAL risk of severe weather for the risk of flooding/treacherous driving conditions.

Just wait, we'll be back to the wrist-slashing soon enough!

Beautiful convection over C London just now. Alas, working from home today. Note the pileus cap in the second and third photos. They're so close to me but no cigar, unless that detonating line shimmies east.

Good grief, what utter nonsense. As for the models, unsettled for the foreseeable, more so for NW - with the best of conditions in the S and SE!

OMG. Just had a downburst of some sort. Brief total white out (about 30 seconds), leaves flying around, large hail and frequent CGs. Incredible. Definitely falls under the heading of severe!!!

Some nice convection going up to north of where I am now in Beckenham, SE London

As far as temperatures are concerned, no complaints from me as the seasonal ( longer range ) models, GloSea5 etc must be indicating above average to very warm and even hot at times, especially further south so I'm happy with the latest update.

When large swathes of your region has a chance of a storm, but you do not.

As far as I see it, ECM and GFS are in the process one again of correcting downward a kick in the jet stream and so adjusting the mean ridge position west toward the UK and W. Europe having initially placed it almost in W. Asia. For some reason whatever causes these errors in those two models seems to affect GEM less. Things when get very interesting as an MJO pulse combines with an unusually 'wiggly jet' as part of a wavenumber-5 pattern that typically produces extremes of weather toward the western extent of ridges - which is where we might well be.

Way too much moaning in here tonight, it's the start of summer and its the uk..typically mixed weather ahead, plenty of variety..something for everyone.

A good livestream overlooking London for us northerners missing out..

Following my post just how - this is encouraging from UKMO as the big trough off the U.S. is clearly slower with a more amplified jet stream ahead of it. UKMO was second only to GEM in spotting the more settled outcome for last week. GEM is now rather explosive-looking for Thu though, and barely gets the next Euro ridge set up before breaking it down: ...but again, this is all far enough out in time for much adjustment to potentially occur

Hello I was deliberately unspecific there; extreme heat, thunderstorms/excessive rainfall and strong winds are all possible outcomes with such a setup. Drought would however require the pattern to adjust further west than looks likely at this time and even then it would take many weeks of persistently dry, often hot weather to produce one. This morning I am shocked at the sheer strength of the low being modelled to cross the Atlantic days 8-10. This currently looks to be an over 2-sigma event i.e. more than two standard deviations outside of the 'norm' i.e. very unusual indeed. Such large and powerful storms have the ability to shift the longwave pattern against the backgroud signals which is worrying as that typically means eastward of what would otherwise occur. The remnants of the B-name Atlantic tropical cyclone in Aug 2014 had this effect and led to a cool showery month instead of a warm, sometimes thundery one as was looking likely to be the case otherwise. I sincerely hope the packet of energy that fuels this major storm does not manage to journey across so smoothly and instead gets involved with some developments along the way that lower the remaining potential energy for LP development. Ireland's tree population would not fare too well if this came to pass - good thing it's still over a week away with plenty of time for changes!

Not a bad performance here - managed 8mm of rain in a one hour spell that included several lightning strikes. So mustn't grumble. Made even better by being sat in my local supping Adnams Southwold bitter watching the High Street turn into a river! I was going to post that it's all over as the action moves into the North Sea, but then blow me, another couple of lightning strikes showing up this evening near Harlow! Radar 19.20 Lightning 19.30

And, as per usual, bugger-all here today!

Very threatening sky now!

Been **ssing it down here. Very unusual to have puddles on my garden as soil very light and friable.

the first pic is the hole above my house and the other, facing south and north.

The latest UKMO update seems reasonably confident that the end of next week to turn warm for most and even very warm for the Southeast with the Northwest getting the more unsettled /rainy conditions, but even here temps well up to average. C

Looking at the morning output, the westward correction takes the ridge more into the mid-Atlantic (the fabled Scenario B). Fans of heat wanted the ridge just to the east of the British Isles (Scenario A) being propped up from the mid-Atlantic trough. That has happened but the trough has now started to move eastward again dragging everything along with it and the eastward correction does us no favours leaving us under the trough. FWIW (and that's not much), I do think the next correction will see us benefitting from the ridge but that may be late June/early July and that's often an optimum time for high temperatures if the synoptics are right and we can import some hot air from points south.

Good evening all. A little late but here is a new thread for the start of the Summer Quarter. The 12z models all show a similar theme during the next week or so with a move towards a rather changeable south westerly pattern. A few snapshots of the 12z ECM for the next week shows an ongoing presence of low pressure to the north and west with occasional ridging further south from a somewhat suppressed Azores high. http://www.meteociel.fr/modeles/ecmwf/runs/2017060112/ECM1-48.GIF?01-0http://www.meteociel.fr/modeles/ecmwf/runs/2017060112/ECM1-96.GIF?01-0http://www.meteociel.fr/modeles/ecmwf/runs/2017060112/ECM1-144.GIF?01-0 so as often the case in this pattern the warmest and brightest conditions will favour locations further south and east.Some showers or rain likely for many of us at times. OK then please continue discussions below.

Maybe I was wrong!

BANG!!!!

I was wrong when said subsiding - on storm no. 4 or 5 now - and this last one is very good

In a short series of boring weather related photos I give you the Bedford special of the day. pathetic.

Some absolutely corking CGs dropping from this one, managed to get my little one to sleep so I've actually been able to film some of it! Some serious height tops in the back edge of it too. I would so love to have a bit more after nightfall but I think I've probably been quite lucky today as it is, we've caught about four or five cells as they've passed through.

I'd say anywhere from there down to Aldeborough would be the preferred area.

where I am Vs where the storms are

Would be typical for me to have one at home while I'm out haha. I'm all for going as far as Lowestoft perhaps, as that is where the best storm is looking to actually be heading. Setting off now.

Lucky southerners

HERE WE GO!

Try our very own Netweather radar - got the option of turning on/off lightning too! http://www.netweather.tv/index.cgi?action=radar;sess=

There's a huge cell rapidly building to the E-SE of here. Looks like a proper thunderstorm! Very warm and almost stifling here in the sunshine.

It now looks like the formation of heat low over Paris Basin. This will move into the North Sea ahead of the cold front pushing into Central Eastern England now. As I mentioned on Tuesday a delay of this clearance to fresher air mass will now be delayed until later tomorrow in the SE . The cyclostomous development ( flabby low ) will open the isobars across Eastern and Central areas of the England with some thundery rain down East Coastal Regions for a while longer before clearance to maritime airmass takes over. Looking to Monday a storm brewing heralding a windy start to next week before pressure rises again in the south bring warmth to end the week. Good weather viewing to be had . A bit for everyone. C

Sun out here again, feeling tropical. Lots of convection going on all around.

Yes, front has now reached a line from the Wash to the Isle of Wight. But fingers crossed there's still a few hours of storm potential here in the far east of the Region. The storm moving NE just south of St. Albans is still active and some bright rain echoes developing and moving towards Cambridge, Chelmsford and Ipswich. I'm hoping they develop sufficiently for a downpour and rumble. Radar & Realtime Lightning 13.50

No chance of storms here but definitely a lot of convection which is refreshing to see

Very humid and hot here just south west of London in Surbiton. The sun is out intermittently and the skies are definitely giving it a try. No sign of the heavy rain that @stainesbloke had; it looks as if there have been some heavy downpours to the NW side. Fingers crossed for some storms:)

Spoke too soon, thundering here now

Dark clouds building now....

If people going to Glastonbury get any/or have any good weather photos, do share them please, we can use them in the weather blogs. wellies, puddles, rivers through tents, sunshine, crowds, flags, sunset, tents, stalls, the stage. Not close ups of individual people but just scenes with a weather tinge. That would be great. EMAIL support@netweather.zendesk.com with Glasto Photo JO as subject ta

Just flew in from Austin, TX. 19c at 3000ft and a little lumpy with tops up to 6-7000ft with bases at 5000ft+

Yes Summer Sun, the difference still there out to 168t as shown on the extended N. Atlantic chart from the UKMO. A continental drift shown on that one. The same time chart from ECM shows a maritime flow for most. Take your pick, I know which one I prefer ! C

UKMO and ECM are a bit different this morning at t144

Day 1 Convective Outlook VALID 06:00 UTC Fri 02 Jun 2017 - 05:59 UTC Sat 03 Jun 2017 ISSUED 07:26 UTC Fri 02 Jun 2017 ISSUED BY: Dan UPDATE 07:26 UTC Latest guidance continues to trend towards a reactivation of the frontal boundary this evening/overnight with showery outbreaks of rain developing over the Midlands into East Anglia - questionable as to how much (if any) lightning activity will be present with this, but given some marginal elevated instability have extended the LOW threat westwards to cater for this potential. That aside, still some uncertainty as to how things will evolve this afternoon with regards to surface-based thunderstorm potential over East Anglia / SE England - early initiation (11-14z) is still signalled by some NWP output. Broad upper vortex will approach from the Atlantic, preceded by a strengthening southerly flow encouraging advection of a warm, moist airmass at low-levels ahead of an eastward-moving cold front. There is the potential for some elevated convection to develop over the English Channel and drift into SE England late Friday morning. Then, given enough insolation, combined with low-level convergence, a few scattered thunderstorms will be possible in the warm sector during the afternoon and evening hours across E/SE England. This is highly dependent on the speed of the cold front, which carries some uncertainty - in general, a quicker arrival will narrow the window of opportunity for phasing with maximum daytime heating. Nonetheless, given 600-800 Jkg-1 CAPE and reasonable DLS a few thunderstorms seem plausible at least, in an environment favourable for organisation into multicells and perhaps even a supercell. Initiation could be as early as 11-14z. Forecast profiles look fairly saturated, so hail perhaps not such an issue - though the strongest cells could produce local incidences of hail up to 1.5cm in diameter. Surface water flooding perhaps more of a significant risk given PWAT 30-35mm - scope then for 25-30mm to fall in a short space of time. There are also suggestions amongst NWP guidance of an additional cluster of elevated deep convection to occur during the evening and night hours over similar areas. A few scattered heavy showers will also be possible Friday afternoon across parts of Scotland, perhaps weakly-electrified given strong shear but marginal instability - hence an eastwards extension of the LOW threat level. In the post-frontal environment, cooling aloft will steepen lapse rates and bring a few scattered showers late in the day and into the night across the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and into western Scotland - some perhaps weakly electrified. http://www.convectiveweather.co.uk/forecast.php?date=2017-06-02

From looking around the various forecasting sites it looks like a chance for a few thunderstorms in the far east today - East Anglia and SE England. All the forecasts I have seen have the speed the cold front moves east as a possible spoiler as if it moves through quicker than expected then it pushes the storm risk east with it. Some forecasts show the cold front itself pepping up overnight but I am unsure how thundery any rain on the front would be by this stage as all the CAPE is pushed eastwards by the time it reaches the south-east. The exception to this is the NMM which keeps the CAPE hanging around long enough for the cold front to move into the area of CAPE this evening, this would likely yield a line of thunderstorms through the evening. It is just one model though, the GFS pushes the CAPE east and out of the UK much faster. I am unable to see the WRF as the site I use seems to be down. If I was in East Anglia or the far SE then I would be considering the risk of a few storms this afternoon and then a very slim risk of some more later this evening. Where storms do occur they could contain lightning, maybe fairly frequent and gusty winds. Hail seems less likely, but torrential rain could occur in any storms giving a risk of flooding. Anywhere west of a line from the Wash to Brighton seems to far west today (unfortunately).

Cheers Dami - it's me age!!