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Old 23-05-2016, 07:12
blueblade
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Here is an absolutely fascinating article about "Heat Bursts".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_burst

Below are two of the most extreme cases ever recorded, the Portuguese one is in my old Guinness Record Book, which is what made me check it out further and find the above info;

6th July 1949 in Portugal the air temperature apparently rose from 38c to 70c (158f) in just 2 minutes.

June 1967 in Iran and a heat burst apparently sent the air temperature rocketing to a quite absurd 87c (189f)
.
Localised effects over a very small area due to a large fire, possibly. But otherwise, I'd say completely impossible.

Some of the documented cases on the wiki list are plausible, but not those two
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Old 23-05-2016, 07:23
blueblade
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Extreme... and unconfirmed. It is very unlikely and probably impossible for any thermometer then in use to register a 32 deg C air temperature rise in the timescale reported, due to thermal lag. So I very much doubt that frankly ridiculous claim. Similarly the Iran report, also unconfirmed and with not even a timescale reported. I just don't believe either claim as reported unless e.g. hot sand blew into the instrument screen covering the thermometer (which wouldn't be a true air temperature).

But I don't doubt that heat bursts can and do occur, albeit within much smaller and more sensible temperature ranges. The daft extreme cases mentioned would, however, make for an interesting global warming film of the Day After Tomorrow kind!

Incidentally, during the Great storm of October 1987, temperatures shot up by around 10 degrees C for an hour or two overnight in many parts of southern England (at over 6 deg C an hour), which exceeds many of the cases of heat burst reported in Wikipedia!
That's true, and some of the biggest local contrasts occurred right here in Essex. At 11pm on 16th October 1987, it was 17C at Southend, but only 8C at Stanstead - a distance of 38 miles. There were probably similar differences over a smaller geographical area, locally. Unfortunately, I don't have any records of my own for that night, as I was only keeping school records at the time, during the day.
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Old 23-05-2016, 07:42
mushymanrob
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looking like cloud will plague us over the next week as a strong controling high establishes to our north/northeast.
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Old 23-05-2016, 18:40
Rich Tea.
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I've had an unexpectedly direct hit from a thunderstorm in the past hour after a lovely day. It came on quite rapidly, has dumped plenty of rain and hail with frequent thunder and lightning. Seems to be a distinctive band of rain and potential storms in a line from the North West to the South East of England directly through my location which at the moment appears to be the only area where any significant storms have kicked off.

Temperature dropped rapidly from 18c to just 11c and 6mm of rain in a few minutes.
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Old 23-05-2016, 19:08
Bedlam_maid
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Yes, I live just outside MK and we had that. Huge hailstones, thunder and lightening. The sky is turning very dark again now so we might be in for another lot.
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Old 28-05-2016, 23:37
Rich Tea.
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Was really surprised by the amount of widespread storms across the continent this afternoon shown on the lightning radar, especially across France and Germany, and now the news reports that a large number of people have been struck by lightning and seriously injured.
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Old 28-05-2016, 23:49
blueblade
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Was really surprised by the amount of widespread storms across the continent this afternoon shown on the lightning radar, especially across France and Germany, and now the news reports that a large number of people have been struck by lightning and seriously injured.
Still raging right now, especially across the South East and South West of France.
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Old 29-05-2016, 00:03
Rich Tea.
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Still raging right now, especially across the South East and South West of France.
Headline story on the radio news just said the lightning has also killed someone in Poland too.

I must admit I do get worried about getting struck during a heavy storm, even if inside the house. Apparently if you leave windows slightly open it can attract lightning so I heard once.
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Old 29-05-2016, 09:01
blueblade
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Headline story on the radio news just said the lightning has also killed someone in Poland too.
Yes, obviously very widespread and violent thunderstorms over central Europe. I noticed that Spain and Italy were barely touched.

I must admit I do get worried about getting struck during a heavy storm, even if inside the house. Apparently if you leave windows slightly open it can attract lightning so I heard once.
I did once read about a guy who was struck whilst "sheltering" in his pantry during a violent storm in the London area, July 1949. The window was a wire mesh affair, presumably to allow fresh air, without accompanying insects. The lightning may somehow have been attracted to the wire mesh, and instantly killed the sheltering man, who would have probably been unhurt in any other part of his house.

In a conventional house, you're probably safest in the centre of your downstairs living room.
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Old 29-05-2016, 09:31
mushymanrob
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charts are frustrating atm... so close to giving us a heatwave but still refusing to fit the last bit in place. it would only take a slight synoptic shift to produce some heat..
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Old 29-05-2016, 09:33
Lowri_J
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Going to be lovely & sunny from now until 9PM according to all the weather reports, here.

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Old 29-05-2016, 15:22
nic6
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Cloudy in Bedfordshire although some sunny spells promised, the Met office have updated the forecast 3 times since this morning they don't know if the cloud is going to break or not.
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Old 29-05-2016, 16:14
Rich Tea.
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Yes, obviously very widespread and violent thunderstorms over central Europe. I noticed that Spain and Italy were barely touched.

I did once read about a guy who was struck whilst "sheltering" in his pantry during a violent storm in the London area, July 1949. The window was a wire mesh affair, presumably to allow fresh air, without accompanying insects. The lightning may somehow have been attracted to the wire mesh, and instantly killed the sheltering man, who would have probably been unhurt in any other part of his house.

In a conventional house, you're probably safest in the centre of your downstairs living room.
Or jumping in your car if you have one, for the Faraday Cage effect protection it would give you if hit, which makes a car one of the safest places to be.

Cloudy in Bedfordshire although some sunny spells promised, the Met office have updated the forecast 3 times since this morning they don't know if the cloud is going to break or not.
I'd simply suggest using - http://en.sat24.com/en

The cloud has now broken nicely.
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Old 29-05-2016, 20:05
blueblade
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Or jumping in your car if you have one, for the Faraday Cage effect protection it would give you if hit, which makes a car one of the safest places to be.
Absolutely - it needs to be emphasised that inside your car is easily the safest place to be in a violent storm.
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Old 29-05-2016, 20:38
blueblade
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charts are frustrating atm... so close to giving us a heatwave but still refusing to fit the last bit in place. it would only take a slight synoptic shift to produce some heat..
It was ever thus in this country.......
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Old 30-05-2016, 15:02
blueblade
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Still stubbornly overcast here in the South East, but great out West, and cloud now dissolving rapidly through the central spine of the country, where it has been cloudy so far.
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Old 30-05-2016, 16:05
1manonthebog
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Glorious weather here in N.I today, unbroken sunshine all day, 21-22c at the moment and gives decent all week apparently.
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Old 31-05-2016, 01:50
Rich Tea.
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My brother has gone down to St Ives in Cornwall this week on holiday. He chose the right side of the country. If he had gone to the East Coast and Great Yarmouth it would now be a washout as the first of the heavy rain from the continent has just made landfall right at that location.

We did get a few sunny breaks at my location in North Bucks later in the day on Monday but it was mostly cloud cover, although quite a decent sunset with red hues from the high cloud after 9pm, which could be misleading if the day ends up wet on Tuesday here. Not expecting a nice day at all. The strong and fresh northerly wind that suddenly appeared was the most noticeable aspect on Bank Holiday Monday in the east and south of the UK.
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Old 01-06-2016, 19:07
1manonthebog
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The weather here in Northern Ireland has been stunning this past few days, 21-23c with unbroken sunshine and looks set to continue all week. This must of been the heatwave the newspapers were on about a few weeks ago, for a change seems to be only Northern Ireland and western Scotland getting it.
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Old 01-06-2016, 19:10
blueblade
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The weather here in Northern Ireland has been stunning this past few days, 21-23c with unbroken sunshine and looks set to continue all week. This must of been the heatwave the newspapers were on about a few weeks ago, for a change seems to be only Northern Ireland and western Scotland getting it.
You're lucky. It's as miserable as sin here. Cloudy with a cool wind.
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Old 02-06-2016, 02:56
Rich Tea.
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While I was getting drenched in the rain under leaden skies with my umbrella getting blown inside out in the gusts while I had to be out and about on Tuesday afternoon, at the same time my brother was getting sunburnt on the beaches of Cornwall in warmth and cloudless blue sky so he said. Talk about a contrast.

My rain gauge collected 16mm during the last day of May on Tuesday. Surface water and large puddles everywhere.

As for June 1st, it must go down as one of the most autumnal feeling that I can ever remember. It's quite hard to believe that virtually all of last December was warmer. Just 11c here Wednesday.
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Old 02-06-2016, 03:06
Big brother tv
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You're lucky. It's as miserable as sin here. Cloudy with a cool wind.
It was like that when I left a week ago. I guess it hasn't changed.
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Old 02-06-2016, 06:51
1manonthebog
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You're lucky. It's as miserable as sin here. Cloudy with a cool wind.
Yes quite the contrast. If the south east had the weather we are currently having it would be all over the media as a heatwave, it barely gets a mention on the weather forecast. But yet again cloudless blue skies and looks set to be another scorcher of a day.
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Old 02-06-2016, 08:02
Bedlam_maid
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While I was getting drenched in the rain under leaden skies with my umbrella getting blown inside out in the gusts while I had to be out and about on Tuesday afternoon, at the same time my brother was getting sunburnt on the beaches of Cornwall in warmth and cloudless blue sky so he said. Talk about a contrast.

My rain gauge collected 16mm during the last day of May on Tuesday. Surface water and large puddles everywhere.

As for June 1st, it must go down as one of the most autumnal feeling that I can ever remember. It's quite hard to believe that virtually all of last December was warmer. Just 11c here Wednesday.
I can't believe I'm still using my heating in June. The display on my c/heating control said 16.5 when I got up this morning
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Old 02-06-2016, 10:08
ML11
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Spanish plume heading our way, expect some spectacular lightening
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