"Keith (Southend)" wrote Thunder Southend-on-Sea 8pm

It surprised me that there wasn't more rain. It wasn't anything like as
heavy as I was expecting - especially given the intensity of the
lightning - but it was one of the better storms I've seen lately and
surpassed many of the summer storms we've had here over the past 5 years
or so:

There was intense lightning all around for 30 mins, sometimes 3-4 flashes
per minute, with sympathetic strokes in other parts of the sky, although
the storm then rumbled away in the ENE for the best part of 45 mins. Some
of the thunder was first-rate - spitting and snarling from
horizon-to-horizon, and then growling for seemingly ages, afterwards.

There was blindingly bright, violet sheet lightning, for the most part,
but some episodes of wonderfully clear, forked lightning. It was that
spectral, "Hammer Horror" stuff, which I haven't seen much of recently,
thin and positively evil-looking, jabbing quickly across a confined part
of the sky, like a hand of ghostly, skeletal fingers. Very Gothic, I
thought, and I rather pitied those who have a phobia for storms, as this
was one which *would* have had them cowering in the broom cupboard, under
the stairs. Just to add to the effect, the dogs in the neighbourhood all
joined in, howling in unison, right on cue, every time a particularly loud
crack of thunder roared overhead..

One I'll remember for a while, I think, and a reminder that we don't
necessarily need a hot summer's day to produce a good thunderstorm.

Tom
Blackmore, SW Essex