Storms and Convective discussion - 10th April 2020 onwards

[Paul Sherman]

2 minutes ago, Windblade said:

Haha, I'm not even looking at the radar at the moment (although I know your comment was not direct at me). I think Thunder And Lightning was commenting more on the size of the storm image an comparing it to a supercell. Out of interest though, what are the telltale signs on a supercell radar signature? I'd like to know a bit more about this and be able to spot them more easily on radar on the rare occurrences they do show up in this country.

Will attach a few from my chasing last season, sometimes I save the GRLevel3 data when I do a blog write up and include the signatures in there so give me a few mins

[alexisj9]

Squall just went through here as heavy rain, then re electrified just as it left. 

[Thunder and Lightning]

4 minutes ago, Paul Sherman said:

Nah its ok not picking on you but with a lack of Doplar Radar its always going to be difficult to assertain a Supercell in the Uk from radar alone. 

 

Thanks! I don't understand why the Met Office don't release Doppler data to the public, even if you have to pay?

Edited May 1, 2020 by Thunder and Lightning

[Met4Cast]

3 minutes ago, Paul Sherman said:

 Everythings a Supercell

You guys do know whats needed to actually make a Supercell ?? 

Seriously not everything is a supercell because it has a white core on radar

LOL! Anything with a flash of lightning and a small hail core is a supercell. 

Vertical & rotational wind shear isn't even close to being strong enough for an MCS, let alone a supercell storm. These are your bog standard, ordinary thundery showers. The storms that developed across CS Eng/SE England were thanks to a convergence line moving eastwards, largely missed by models yesterday though was evident on this mornings UKV.

The line across the SE is now moving away so activity will largely die here away from the odd few showers. The next area of interest is now eastern England with evidence on the radar of the convergence line beginning to develop here now as expected. 

[Hodgheg]

10 minutes ago, Paul Sherman said:

 Everythings a Supercell

You guys do know whats needed to actually make a Supercell ?? 

Seriously not everything is a supercell because it has a white core on radar

A sustained rotating updraught?  Unless you see something really obvious from reflectivity id guess you can't tell if theirs rotation without doppler radar. An isolated juicy looking cell alone isn't going to always be one . You also can't tell based on lightning, their seems to be an assumption that any storm with prolific lightning rates is a supercell (no thanks to the uk press). Thirdly the size of the storm is not a good indication of a supercell either. 

Having said that you don't need massive amounts of CAPE given enough shear either? I always wonder how many low top supercells we get in the UK that go unnoticed. 

Edited May 1, 2020 by John90

[Windblade]

3 minutes ago, Paul Sherman said:

Will attach a few from my chasing last season, sometimes I save the GRLevel3 data when I do a blog write up and include the signatures in there so give me a few mins

Thank you Paul, that will be awesome!

[Ryukai]

Whelp, despite looking amazing, was a bit of a damp squib, wind picked up slightly once the wall-looking cloud passed directly over head, and there's a bit of a light shower going on. Maybe Ashbourne/Derby will have better luck with it as it's heading in that direction.

[ChannelThunder]

14 minutes ago, Paul Sherman said:

 Everythings a Supercell

You guys do know whats needed to actually make a Supercell ?? 

Seriously not everything is a supercell because it has a white core on radar

Glad you said it, because I was going to if not 

They're so rare in the UK, not even sure when we last had one. 

[Zak M]

These looked quite awesome earlier.

[Windblade]

I think most people in the thread know what we've had today isn't supercellular but just on appearance alone some cells have looked similar from a artistic point of view (does that make sense?). Like the one over the coast I commented on earlier! But yes, I'd really like to know some telltale signs to look for on radar to better understand how to spot supercells.

[Windblade]

18 minutes ago, Thunder and Lightning said:

London superell! I don't remember that! When was it?

28th May 2018.

Edited May 1, 2020 by Windblade

[Thunder and Lightning]

1 minute ago, Windblade said:

I think most people in the thread know what we've had today isn't supercellular but just on appearance alone some cells have looked similar from a artistic point of view (does that make sense?). Like the one over the coast I commented on earlier! But yes, I'd really like to know some telltale signs to look for on radar to better understand how to spot supercells.

There are of course the classic things like hook echos and V notches, BWER and so on, but in the UK most of the time these characteristics just appear on cells which are not supercells by coincidence.

[Paul Sherman]

Okay so this was a Risk in the Texas Panhandle last Season where we saw a Tornado at Sunset.

Picture 1 is from the Baron System which does not have a great Resolution more like the Uk Radar - White Brick is my car/Position

Picture 2 is from GRLevel3 which shows Dopplar Radar and better resolution again the white circle is my position

Picture 3 is showing the Velocities 

Picture 4 is showing what was in front of us

As you can see we need much better radar to call Supercells from radar alone

[Thunder and Lightning]

1 minute ago, Windblade said:

28th May 2018. 

Thanks! Do you have any radar images, damage images to hand? I remember 2018 being a good year but I can't remember there being a supercell.

[chionomaniac]

Another time lapse of a near miss. Lovely structure

 

 

[Windblade]

2 minutes ago, Thunder and Lightning said:

Thanks! Do you have any radar images, damage images to hand? I remember 2018 being a good year but I can't remember there being a supercell.

We were commenting on it in the storms and discussion thread on the site so it's probably archived somewhere. At least I think that's the date anyway. I did find this footage, not sure if this is the same storm as the confirmed supercell but it looks similar with it's constant strobe lighting...

 

Edited May 1, 2020 by Windblade

[Thunder and Lightning]

1 minute ago, Windblade said:

We were commenting on it in the storms and discussion thread on the site so it's probably archived somewhere.

Thanks again

[Mitch the motorbike storm]

Am I going to miss the approaching cell? I'm in Ramsgate 

[chionomaniac]

18 minutes ago, Paul Sherman said:

Will attach a few from my chasing last season, sometimes I save the GRLevel3 data when I do a blog write up and include the signatures in there so give me a few mins

I’ve seen a few storms today but no persistent rotating updrafts lol. So no supercells here but great storm structures today and wouldn’t rule out a brief funnel or two 

[Mitch the motorbike storm]

It's heading over whitstable

[Paul Sherman]

But if you want a beast of a Radar Representation then what about this - May 9th 2016 the Sulpur (Ok) EF3 Tornadic Supercell after the Katie EF4

This is about as classic as it gets for a Tornadic Supercell Signature - Gave this Mile Wide Tornado a wide berth for obvious reasons

[Windblade]

Just now, Paul Sherman said:

But if you want a beast of a Radar Representation then what about this - May 9th 2016 the Sulpur (Ok) EF3 Tornadic Supercell after the Katie EF4

This is about as classic as it gets for a Tornadic Supercell Signature - Gave this Mile Wide Tornado a wide berth for obvious reasons

Yes, I see that classic hook.

[Flash bang flash bang etc]

Wondering whether Billingshurst is looking likely to get anything in the next 30mins  

[Thunder and Lightning]

Just now, Paul Sherman said:

But if you want a beast of a Radar Representation then what about this - May 9th 2016 the Sulpur (Ok) EF3 Tornadic Supercell after the Katie EF4

This is about as classic as it gets for a Tornadic Supercell Signature - Gave this Mile Wide Tornado a wide berth for obvious reasons

Didn't that tornado have mobile Doppler measurements of 218mph., but was only rated high end EF3 because it only hit structures not at peak intensity?

[matt111]

Nothing much happening here now but the sky still looks interesting