wrote in message
...
( repeated via Google - my original via Virgin has disappeared or been
seriously delayed )

Rain overnight 6th/7th June, 2009: West Moors/East Dorset

Light rain began 06/21Z, soon moderate, with spell heavy rain between
00 & 01Z: three intra-cloud ['sheet'] lightning discharges between
0008 & 0015Z, evenly spaced/first one strikingly vivid - no CG
activity seen. This immediately preceded the most intense phase of
rainfall, which eased again to moderate within ~15/20min, the rain
finally packing-up ~0100Z.

Total rainfall this morning (strictly 09-09, but wholly within the
above period) = 21.1 mm (non-standard exposure, but close to nearby
Hurn, which recorded 20.6 mm.

Ground absorbed well - no flooding locally - grass greened up this
morning - first 'significant' rainfall (i.e. sufficient to penetrate
to any depth before evaporation), since 27th April (May was a dry
month here).

Note that although wind generally light/moderate overnight, as the
most intense phase of the rain set in (accompanied by aforementioned
thunder), a gust of 33 kn was recorded at Hurn between 00 & 01Z.

This breaks our 'duck' for thunder-heard days: we had, up until the
first few minutes of this day, 221 days without thunder-heard: this
represents ~60% of a '12-month' without any thundery activity at this
station (and no, we haven't missed any!).

Martin.


--
Martin Rowley
West Moors, East Dorset (UK): 17m (56ft) amsl
Lat: 50.82N Long: 01.88W
NGR: SU 082 023

267 thunder-free days here in Romsey, Martin, until a long, low
grumble spooked the dog around 0115Z on Sunday 7th June...
and that was it... no lightning and no further rumbles. Not exactly
a dramatic fanfare to signal the end of the longest period between
thunderstorms in 35 years of records, a span of nearly 9 months!

So feeble was the sound, that I had to wait until returning home
from work late yesterday afternoon to natter with the rest of
the family and neighbours to be absolutely sure it was indeed
thunder I had heard.

Nigel (Romsey, Hampshire)