On Oct 30, 9:58*am, "Nick Gardner"
wrote:
Last night has got to be one of the most memorable 'weather' nights ever. A
thunderstorm of the intensity I have not witnessed since those summer
'biggies' from what now seems like a long time ago.

The lightning started around 23:45 but the rain did not really get going
until just after midnight, though it was a mixture of torrential rain and
hail. The road outside soon resembled a mini-glacier with hail floes running
everywhere.

The lightning was regular, frequent and overhead with amazing cloud-cloud
flickering and the occasional ground strike; the thunder was the house
foundation shaking type and at times truly deafening. The brightness of the
lightning was awe inspiring.

I have just checked the rain gauge and it was blocked by hailstones that
still had not melted but there was 63 mm of rain in there. The Davis AWS
recorded a total of 70 mm since midnight with 40 mm falling between 0:00 and
3:00. These rainfall figures are probably much lower than what actually
fell.

With reports that Ottery St Mary and many villages around here are flooded
and cut off, the A30 and part of the motorway at Junction 29 closed due to
multiple accidents. There have been 'hail drifts' (not snow as reported by
some people) so deep that cars have been buried in them, it certainly has
been one of those nights to remember.
________________
Nick.
Otter Valley, Devon
83 m amslhttp://www.ottervalley.co.uk

We had flash flooding in Rockbeare - torrent of water running down our
road (stream behind houses on other side - a tributary of the the
Clyst), garage is flooded and many houses around us also (we just
escaped). Heavy rain here ceased just before midnight, seen photos of
*deep* hail Ottery area where water no doubt originated from. Have
photos and video of some of it.

Steve.
Highest/lowest of 2008 so far: 28.0C/-4.3C.
No. of Air frosts 35...
www.rockbeareweather.co.uk