SNOW_JOKE

Interesting TAF report for Manchester Airport this evening and overnight.. TAF: EGCC 292023Z 2920/3024 20008KT 9999 FEW040 PROB40 TEMPO 2920/2921 6000 +TSRAGS BKN014CB PROB30 TEMPO 2921/3018 8000 SHRA thunderstorm, heavy rain, small hail or snow pellets

Thunder here in the Peaks, quite unexpected.

Can definitely feel the temperature difference as the cold-front has moved through here, from a balmy 26'c yesterday to a high of just 16'c expected for today. I have a feeling that was the last of the summer plumes for this year and with the Atlantic firing up again in-terms of tropical waves we can now look forward to the autumnal gales.

Finally went to sleep around 3, set the alarm for half 6 and i'm glad I did looking back at the past few hours. Might have been seen a flash or two towards the SE as the cold-front initiated the cell towards Matlock and Sheffield but aside from that it's been a flop-event for the NW. Back to sleep it is.

small areas of convection popping up in the Midlands now, hopefully self-sustaining and will grow into something more substantial as forecasted by 4am.

The one to the right? that was a belter, beads of plasma coming off it for those few thousands of a seconds after it dissipated. Would be interesting to find out wether any Fulgurites are found in the coming few days on the southern beaches.

Close-strikes on this cam in Poole, thanks to NorthernJord for the link https://www.rickstein.com/sandbanks-webcam/?hide-buttons

Any webcams in the home-counties area (assuming the power is still on), just overcast and claggy here in the peaks for another few hours at least.

IR showing cold cloud-tops from Swindon to Peterborough, i'm expecting to see this area beginning to 'light up' within the next hour or two.

Things trying to get going in Cheshire, looking at the wind vectors the main cold-front is still only situated in a line from Plymouth-Bangor-Edinburgh.

Unsure wether to go all-night with this as for the NW it's fairly borderline in terms of how far west the cold-front initiates convection. It's not until around 4am that things are forecast to get going across the north and midlands.

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/forecast/map#?map=Rainfall&zoom=5&lon=-4.00&lat=55.01&fcTime=1473951600 Doesn't give anything for the Midlands/NW until 4am in the morning, down-south in the home counties however they are forecast to have a good few hours of storms and torrential rain ahead, well into tomorrow afternoon. Anything northwards will just be a fleeting glimpse as the front doesn't stick around for too long as it traverses west to east.

Shift the convergence west by 25 miles and i'll be a happy camper tonight

Mid-level convection getting underway here in the Peaks with a nice orangey-hue to the mist as the sun is setting.

Strike rate going up now in W.London, up to 14/s per minute.