On Oct 30, 5:57*pm, Bonos Ego wrote:
What a day!

For those of us in the SW, the pictures on Spotlight are going to be
interesting!

For those not living in the South West, but have SKY TV, and would
like to watch spotlight, try Sky TV Channel 987.

For anyone that doesn't have SKY TV, here's a weblink to tonight's BBC
SW Spotlight show
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/c...bw m=1&bbwm=1

My rainfall data for last night's storm had obviously under-recorded the
true amount by a wide margin due to the gauges being blocked my hail.
According to David Braine on Spotlight around 100 mm fell in one hour and on
top of that there was between 15 cm and 30 cm depth of hail.

Hard to describe how much hail actually fell but imagine a hail storm which
covers the ground in around 1 or 2 minutes then let this intensity continue
for nearly two hours, with torrential rain mixed in. The sound it made was
like a continuous loud roar, coupled with dazzling, frequent lightning and
deafening thunder, something that I won't forget in a hurry.

The effect the rain and hail had on soil temperatures, especially the 100 cm
depth temperature is quite remarkable and larger than anything I have
recorded before. At this depth the temperature normally varies by only a few
tenths of a degree over a week but here are readings for the last 5 days.

Date 30cm 100cm
26 11.4 11.8
27 10.1 11.7
28 8.2 11.5
29 7.0 11.3
30 5.9 7.6
________________
Nick.
Otter Valley, Devon
83 m amsl
http://www.ottervalley.co.uk

"Nick Gardner" wrote in message
...
My rainfall data for last night's storm had obviously under-recorded the
true amount by a wide margin due to the gauges being blocked my hail.
According to David Braine on Spotlight around 100 mm fell in one hour and
on top of that there was between 15 cm and 30 cm depth of hail.

Hard to describe how much hail actually fell but imagine a hail storm
which covers the ground in around 1 or 2 minutes then let this intensity
continue for nearly two hours, with torrential rain mixed in. The sound it
made was like a continuous loud roar, coupled with dazzling, frequent
lightning and deafening thunder, something that I won't forget in a hurry.

The effect the rain and hail had on soil temperatures, especially the 100
cm depth temperature is quite remarkable and larger than anything I have
recorded before. At this depth the temperature normally varies by only a
few tenths of a degree over a week but here are readings for the last 5
days.

Date 30cm 100cm
26 11.4 11.8
27 10.1 11.7
28 8.2 11.5
29 7.0 11.3
30 5.9 7.6
________________
Nick.
Otter Valley, Devon
83 m amsl
http://www.ottervalley.co.uk
-------------------------
Well guys - it was on BBC main news and it looked incredible. I've never
seen anything like that before - anywhere!
What an incredible October this is turning in to.
Dave, S.Essex

"Nick Gardner" wrote in message
...

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 experienced the ground shaking thunder too. A number of really deep angry
rumbles that you don't hear too often which went on for a good couple of
hours. I was seemingly just on the edge of the worst of it and didn't notice
any hail. Quite a night and it all came as a complete surprise to me.

Jon (about 8 miles NW of Otter St. Mary)

Dave Cornwell wrote:

Well guys - it was on BBC main news and it looked incredible. I've never
seen anything like that before - anywhere!

I recall similar pictures in the newspapers from one August in the 50s.
Streets full of hail with large drifts. I can't remember where it happened
but have a vague thought - PROB10? - that it was Brighton.

--
Graham P Davis, Bracknell, Berks., UK. E-mail: newsman not newsboy

"Graham P Davis" wrote:
Dave Cornwell wrote:

Well guys - it was on BBC main news and it looked incredible. I've never
seen anything like that before - anywhere!

I recall similar pictures in the newspapers from one August in the 50s.
Streets full of hail with large drifts. I can't remember where it happened
but have a vague thought - PROB10? - that it was Brighton.

Tunbridge Wells, August 1956.

pe

On 31 Oct, 09:47, "Philip Eden" philipATweatherHYPHENukDOTcom wrote:
"Graham P Davis" wrote: Dave Cornwell wrote:

Well guys - it was on BBC main news and it looked incredible. I've never
seen anything like that before - anywhere!

I recall similar pictures in the newspapers from one August in the 50s.
Streets full of hail with large drifts. I can't remember where it happened
but have a vague thought - PROB10? - that it was Brighton.

Tunbridge Wells, August 1956.

pe

Also similar event Padstow a couple of years back when piles of hail
were washed through the town

Video http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=q2TIljjF5h0

Graham
Penzance

On Oct 30, 6:04*pm, " wrote:
On Oct 30, 5:57 pm, Bonos Ego wrote:

What a day!

For those of us in the SW, the pictures on Spotlight are going to be
interesting!

For those not living in the South West, but have SKY TV, and would
like to watch spotlight, try Sky TV Channel 987.

There's some video footage here toohttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/7700167.stm

From those incredible pictures people could be forgiven for
calling it snow because that's what it looks like. The hail must have
been very small but there's a huge volume of it which makes one think
it must be of low density. But hail is clear ice so that cannot be
the case. Does anyone have any explanation of these characteristics?
The storm cannot have had a supercell structure or the hail would
probably have gone up and down a few times before finally falling out
as large hail.

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, Surrey.

I know it's not a lucky escape for the residents of Ottery St Mary,
but if this exceptional event had happen 7 days later on 5th November,
coinciding with Ottery St Mary hosting their annual Rolling of the Tar
Barrels event, there would have been an additional 10,000 to 15,000
visitors packed into the narrow streets together with their cars
parked in fields, there could have been utter carnage with people
loosing their lives.

http://www.tarbarrels.co.uk/

On Thu, 30 Oct 2008 at 19:29:35, Nick Gardner
wrote in uk.sci.weather :

The effect the rain and hail had on soil temperatures, especially the 100 cm
depth temperature is quite remarkable and larger than anything I have
recorded before. At this depth the temperature normally varies by only a few
tenths of a degree over a week but here are readings for the last 5 days.

Date 30cm 100cm
26 11.4 11.8
27 10.1 11.7
28 8.2 11.5
29 7.0 11.3
30 5.9 7.6

Permafrost soon, then?
--
Paul Hyett, Cheltenham (change 'invalid83261' to 'blueyonder' to email me)