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The Stormy Nights Of Summer 1997


Lauren

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Posted
  • Location: The North Kent countryside
  • Weather Preferences: Hot summers, snowy winters and thunderstorms!
  • Location: The North Kent countryside

Does anyone remember the series of stormy nights we had at the beginning of August 1997. The days had been incredibly hot and the late afternoons brought serious humidity. For several nights we had a series of small outbreaks none lasting longer than about 15 minutes. Then one night we had the big one. It started up at about 7.30pm with the oddest looking sky I had ever seen. It was almost a dark green colour, whilst it was still light and just built and built and built. It was a very big MCS with lightning every 5 seconds at least and almost continuous thunder. It was so loud it was impossible to sleep. In fact I distinctly remember my whole family gathering in my Mum and Dad's bedroom and just watching out of the window all night. We could also see most other families on the street just looking out their windows. We saw a house a few streets up get struck by lightening and burn until the fire brigade came. We saw on the news the next day that dozens of houses had been hit throughout the area and many houses had lost power.

The storm didn't let up all night and only started to quieten down at around 8am the next morning. There wasn't that much rain if I recall which seemed weird to us at the time. The rain did come over the next few nights and it pretty much torrentially rained solidly all night throughout those evenings. I should add this was in the SE and |I'm not sure if it happened over the rest of the country.

I have asked several people about this storm and many remember it but I can't seem to find any news articles on it (there were lots!) or any data from that evening. If anyone can remember this or can find the data on it, that would be great.

Edited by Lauren
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Posted
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)

Can't remember the time specifically, although there is a record of a thunderstorms (including one over Eastbourne on the 6th) here:

http://www.rhegeds.f....uk/astrom2.htm

1997 06th August 0930 - 1030 GMT: Eastbourne, E. Sussex.

1997 10th August 1900 GMT: Llandudno, Gwynedd, Wales.

1997 19th August 1600 - 1800 GMT: Rickmansworth, Herts.

1997 28th August 0837 - 0900 GMT: Calthorpe, Norfolk.

1997 31st August 1324 - 1434 GMT: Chaddesden, Derbyshire.

This is what seems to have prompted it:

Rrea00219970806.gif

Rrea00119970806.gif

and more toward the end of the month in the North here:

http://www.ravenstor...T0008/T0008.htm

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Posted
  • Location: The North Kent countryside
  • Weather Preferences: Hot summers, snowy winters and thunderstorms!
  • Location: The North Kent countryside

Thanks for that Coast. None of those seem to be in the area (kent) or for the duration. Odd.

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Posted
  • Location: The North Kent countryside
  • Weather Preferences: Hot summers, snowy winters and thunderstorms!
  • Location: The North Kent countryside

Ah that could very well have been what caused it. I spoke to my Mum earlier and she said it was definitely the beginning of August 1997 as we were supposed to be going on holiday the next weekend.

There were several MCS overnighters that year if I recall.

How did you find this, I have been looking for a while.

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Posted
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)

How did you find this, I have been looking for a while.

Googletastic!

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Posted
  • Location: London, UK
  • Weather Preferences: MCC/MCS Thunderstorms
  • Location: London, UK

I remember this year, was the best ever for overnight thunderstorms (MCS) as far as I can remember. It was the year that I went to Majorca and also the month I went to Disneyland Paris, only to have the news the next few days after of Princess Diana.

Talking of which, didn't Paris hit 110*F ?

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Posted
  • Location: The North Kent countryside
  • Weather Preferences: Hot summers, snowy winters and thunderstorms!
  • Location: The North Kent countryside

I don't know if this helps but the 12z charts from the 2-7th. If you could narrow the evening referred too down a bit could produce an 18 and 00 for the day.

Thanks for those, how do you get hold of this stuff???

Can't narrow it down I'm afraid, my memory isn't that good!

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  • 4 weeks later...
Posted
  • Location: in south suburbs of Paris
  • Location: in south suburbs of Paris

I remember this year, was the best ever for overnight thunderstorms (MCS) as far as I can remember. It was the year that I went to Majorca and also the month I went to Disneyland Paris, only to have the news the next few days after of Princess Diana.

Talking of which, didn't Paris hit 110*F ?

I remember well august 1997 as it was really the first time i realized i could bear the cold easier than the heat and in Paris we did hit 30c 14 days in a row

Don't think we did 110f.I have now only the infos on Orly airport 8 to 10 miles south of Paris and top temp was only 34c on the 24th

At Orly 30c were passed 16 times and 3 days over 29c

Would always remember august 1997 as the first time really realized could not bear the heat and also for the thunderstorms.

I think it was early in the month i remember a sudden and very violent thunderstorm , recall it perfectly as my sister was in hospital and was on my way there.

ps sis is ok now and i still can' t bear theses kind of heatwaves!!!!!but like them too!!!!!crazy me!!!!

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  • 7 months later...
Posted
  • Location: Ipswich. (Originally from York)
  • Weather Preferences: Thunder Storms. All extreme weather.
  • Location: Ipswich. (Originally from York)

I'm a bit late with this one but I remember the Sunday Diana died and that afternoon we had a T storm in York. I remember looking over to the south and the sky looked typical funnel/tornado sky. Sure enough there had been one which disrupted the east coast main railway line.

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