Anvils in the Sky

Morning folks, Lovely start to the day here too. Last of the overnight cloud just moving away to the east, with a beautiful blue sky overhead and to the west. Currently 18.5°. Must admit I'm another one also looking forward to autumn now. I know the leaf clearance becomes a bit of a pain as the season progresses.....but, for me, it's worth the hassle just because of the great sights as the colours change. Anyway, getting ahead of myself there, as that's all still a little way off. The failed day trip over to France from a few weeks back is happening tomorrow. (And this time we've bought our tickets online, so no 97 quid nonsense! A much more reasonable £20 this time.) Therefore - as someone who loves being on the sea when it's rough - I'm hoping for gales through the Dover Straits mid-morning tomorrow, and then again in the early evening. But something tells me I'm going to end up disappointed on that score! Have a great Friday all. Lee P.S. Happy Birthday to Reefseeker.

Another corker of an afternoon, weatherwise. Mostly sunny, a few cumulus blowing around, and a delightful lack of humidity. Current temp = 23.8°. Very nice indeed. Wasn't online yesterday, so I've only just caught up with this. All I can do is offer my condolences, Surrey. As others have said, sad news.

Morning folks, The first day this week where we haven't woken to fog/mist or low cloud. Sunny since the outset (albeit with a bit of high cloud at first), but now pretty much clear. Currently 18.7°. And what a lovely week it has been so far, after the clearance of the morning crud from Mon-Weds. Summer 2013 is certainly heading out in style! As an aside, a Spanish friend of mine (in Valencia) was on FB all day yesterday, moaning about the "cold, wet weather" they're experiencing at the moment. Blimey, I don't know.........one of the sunniest climates in Europe, and they complain when they get one day of rain! Have a great Thursday everyone. Happy Birthday MK. Hope it's a good'un.

Absolutely beautiful evening here. Not a cloud to be seen, and not a breath of wind. Just had a cuppa in the back garden, and it's so still and quiet out there. Only sound is the birds....and, briefly, a baby crying in one of the houses to the back of me! Behind which the sun is now setting. (Almost an hour and a half earlier than it was a couple of months ago!) EDIT: Peace shattered by - according to flightradar24 - Alitalia flying overhead!

Not surprising........even the north-easterlies in summer are warm when it's Kaddy's turn to present:

Yes he does. It took me a while to warm to him, but he's actually one of my favourite forecasters now. (Of course, nobody in the SE can beat Kaddy for enthusiasm!) Meanwhile, this afternoon, all I can say is stunning. Don't mind admitting I was a little concerned about clearance when I saw that thick fog first thing. But what a day it has turned into. Definitely noticing the longer shadows now though...

You mean you're not fluent in Polish? I AM surprised!

Morning both. Coast, the second I started reading what you'd said about the sun working its magic on the fog/cloud......the sun broke through here. Move over Tomasz S.... MK, yep I'm with you on that one. Despite the late start to this year's spring/summer, I'm just about ready for autumn now too. Colourful leaves, animals hibernating and birds flying south for a few months, the anticipation of what winter will bring, bonfires and fireworks on a (hopefully) dry and chilly evening. That sort of stuff.

Morning folks, I'm hesitant to use the word 'autumnal', seeing as it's August, but autumnal really is the most accurate description for so far this morning. Thick fog early on - could barely see across the road. Has thinned into mist and low cloud now. Temperature currently = 13.6°, and it's certainly the coolest feeling start for some time. Hopefully the sun will get to work on the gloomy stuff, as it did yesterday morning. I sort of wish I kept a log of weather things other than thunderstorms, as 27th August seems pretty early for the first morning fog of the "autumn". Lee

As I knew full well would happen, within minutes (literally) of me posting about there being no hint of the cloud layer breaking.........the cloud broke! And what a glorious day it rapidly into. Fabulous blue skies with just a few very photogenic wisps of cirrus. Can't believe how well behaved the weather has been on Bank Holidays this year! Gardening now done. And been invited next door for a cold beer. Would be rude not to take up the invitation, so I suppose I'd better go round there and force a beer down. Will be difficult, but I'll give it a go!

Morning all, Grey and gloomy here. And I have to say, so far, very little evidence of the cloud wanting to break. Just the tiniest hint of a lighter shade of grey in the far eastern sky. Temperature is currently 17.7°, with the lightest of breezes from the NE. From the reports on here, and looking at the satellite pics, it seems others are faring much better than this neck of the woods. So hopefully the cloud layer hanging over us will start to break as the day wears on. A day of gardening beckons here. I'm sure others are having a slightly more exciting Bank Holiday! Have a good one. Lee

Morning folks, Many in this region still drying out, methinks. What a memorable day for some. I do try not to MetO bash, but SURELY they should have upgraded the warning to at least amber for the southern part of Essex yesterday afternoon?? (Or maybe they did, and I missed it? In which case, I apologise.) Anyway, the rain started again overnight here, and continued into the first part of the morning. Garden has registered a total of 23mm over the last 24 hours. Not bad going for one day, but nothing like as impressive as some of the totals on the other side of the Thames Estuary. Currently 17.9°, with the sun really getting through the cloud now. I hope it stays like this for all those needing to mop out today.

And every storm is different. Snow - as much as I love it - is "just" snow. The product of a snowstorm is the same the world over. (If anyone quotes this in the winter, when I'm upset that the snow has hit Billericay/Rayleigh instead of Medway, I may have to slap them silly!)

A friend of mine asked me a couple of years ago, "Lee, if you could only have snow or thunderstorms, which would it be?" Immediately, without any thinking, I hollered "Snow!" Within 24 hours I started thinking about it. Singapore v Svalbard? Air-conditioning v heating? Sweating v frozen toes and ears? A life without thunderstorms?????........ I couldn't do it. No way José. So, as much as I love snow, my heart tells me storms are the one I couldn't do without.

After years in the desert, stormwise, I'm hoping the tide has finally turned!

Well, you did say "No singing".And singing that ain't. Noise, on the other hand, it is!

Thunder?? What's that? A word not in my vocabulary. Hehe!

Looking at raintoday, you are about as in-the-middle as it could possibly get tonight. I have a feeling the very last drop of today's rain will fall on Peterborough! (Sorry. Not taking the Mick. Just noticing you really are stuck under the rain this evening.)

It has stopped raining. Hard to believe 12 hours ago I was feeling a little despondent. "God, the garden needs some rain." "PLEASE can we just have one day of rain." "Let it rain on them blokes over the road, building a porch which means mine won't be the newest in the street." That sort of stuff.... Be careful what you wish for, folks! (Stuff about the porch was said a bit tongue-in-cheek, by the way. In case anyone thinks I honestly meant it!)

William, it's nice to see you in this thread, visiting (metaphorically) an area you're not resident in. Shows your love for weather. I feel a couple of people were a little unnecessarily harsh on you in the storm thread recently. Can't see that happening here. So I, for one, think it's great you've called in. I honestly admire your enthusiasm.

Nice satellite pic from lunchtime today: http://lance-modis.eosdis.nasa.gov/imagery/subsets/?subset=Europe_2_01.2013236.terra.1km South-East England - and in particular South Essex! - under there somewhere... Meanwhile, on the Isle of Man, sun-tan lotion out of stock in Boots...

http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/10633483.Updated__Torrential_rain_causes_severe_flooding_across_south_Essex/

Crikey!!! Over 3 inches of rain in one afternoon! That's amazing. But the radar does show your spot has been stuck under the heaviest falls all afternoon. Surely (if there's a measuring station nearby) it will come up as the country's wettest place today?? I thought we'd had a wet few hours here, just to your south, but we've only had 14mm. Pales into insignificance compared to your stats. A few miles can make a huge difference!

Ditto here to your east! Think my friends made the right decision to cancel their BBQ! I've kept my mouth shut all week about me thinking they should cancel, because every single time I give 'cancel' or 'go ahead' advice to people, the weather doesn't play ball. And I end up with egg on my face! So I kept my mouth shut about today, and of course I would have been right had I spoken up. Typical!

The two chaps building a new porch on the house opposite me have finally allowed the rain to make them call it a day! Here, on the other hand, are a couple of chaps who aren't letting the rain bother them. (Sorry for the poor quality. Zoom not the best on the camera.)