Extract from the Independent newspaper of August 2009 ;
1981
The cumulonimbus clouds that bring thunderstorms can reach a height of 16 kilometres (almost 10 miles). If they are one of the thicker variety they can block out most, and occasionally all, of the sun's light. On 6 August 1981, one that was eight miles high filled the sky over east Surrey and transformed a summer's day into pitch-black darkness. Street lights came on automatically, and, when the storm burst, there were extensive floods with 16 buildings struck by lightning. This degree of darkness in the middle of the day is very rare, but not unprecedented. The same thing happened for the same reason in central London on 27 June 1947.
unquote
I was working in the City that day(of London)and to say the least sitting outside a pub about noon with increasing darkness,warmth,humidity and little wind with booming ever louder thunder and the odd excited scream from young women passing by was v v eerie.Leaving home about 07.30 BST that day I noticed a thundery looking sky with high-based cloud but had no idea of what was to come.

A friend of mine with 2 pre-school children who lived in Whyteleafe Sy,(near Warlingham) spoke of incredible lightning and torrential rain.At one point she was on her landline and threw the phone down when a blinding flash of lightning gave her a "shock"

Will we get the same again I wonder...

On Tuesday, 6 August 2019 07:47:06 UTC+1, P.Chortik wrote:
Extract from the Independent newspaper of August 2009 ;
1981
The cumulonimbus clouds that bring thunderstorms can reach a height of 16 kilometres (almost 10 miles). If they are one of the thicker variety they can block out most, and occasionally all, of the sun's light. On 6 August 1981, one that was eight miles high filled the sky over east Surrey and transformed a summer's day into pitch-black darkness. Street lights came on automatically, and, when the storm burst, there were extensive floods with 16 buildings struck by lightning. This degree of darkness in the middle of the day is very rare, but not unprecedented. The same thing happened for the same reason in central London on 27 June 1947.
unquote
I was working in the City that day(of London)and to say the least sitting outside a pub about noon with increasing darkness,warmth,humidity and little wind with booming ever louder thunder and the odd excited scream from young women passing by was v v eerie.Leaving home about 07.30 BST that day I noticed a thundery looking sky with high-based cloud but had no idea of what was to come.

A friend of mine with 2 pre-school children who lived in Whyteleafe Sy,(near Warlingham) spoke of incredible lightning and torrential rain.At one point she was on her landline and threw the phone down when a blinding flash of lightning gave her a "shock"

Will we get the same again I wonder...



On Tuesday, 6 August 2019 07:47:06 UTC+1, P.Chortik wrote:
Extract from the Independent newspaper of August 2009 ;
1981
The cumulonimbus clouds that bring thunderstorms can reach a height of 16 kilometres (almost 10 miles). If they are one of the thicker variety they can block out most, and occasionally all, of the sun's light. On 6 August 1981, one that was eight miles high filled the sky over east Surrey and transformed a summer's day into pitch-black darkness. Street lights came on automatically, and, when the storm burst, there were extensive floods with 16 buildings struck by lightning. This degree of darkness in the middle of the day is very rare, but not unprecedented. The same thing happened for the same reason in central London on 27 June 1947.
unquote
I was working in the City that day(of London)and to say the least sitting outside a pub about noon with increasing darkness,warmth,humidity and little wind with booming ever louder thunder and the odd excited scream from young women passing by was v v eerie.Leaving home about 07.30 BST that day I noticed a thundery looking sky with high-based cloud but had no idea of what was to come.

A friend of mine with 2 pre-school children who lived in Whyteleafe Sy,(near Warlingham) spoke of incredible lightning and torrential rain.At one point she was on her landline and threw the phone down when a blinding flash of lightning gave her a "shock"

Will we get the same again I wonder...

I live in Warlingham, then as now, and remember it well. The sky went an intense dark yellow, then black.
It is also the anniversary of the Tunbridge Wells hailstorm in 1956, which initial press reports said was snow. It was certainly cool but not that cool.

Tudor Hughes

In message ,
Tudor Hughes writes
On Tuesday, 6 August 2019 07:47:06 UTC+1, P.Chortik wrote:
Extract from the Independent newspaper of August 2009 ;
1981
The cumulonimbus clouds that bring thunderstorms can reach a height
of 16 kilometres (almost 10 miles). If they are one of the thicker
variety they can block out most, and occasionally all, of the sun's
light. On 6 August 1981, one that was eight miles high filled the sky
over east Surrey and transformed a summer's day into pitch-black
darkness. Street lights came on automatically, and, when the storm
burst, there were extensive floods with 16 buildings struck by
lightning. This degree of darkness in the middle of the day is very
rare, but not unprecedented. The same thing happened for the same
reason in central London on 27 June 1947.
unquote
snip

I live in Warlingham, then as now, and remember it well. The sky
went an intense dark yellow, then black.
It is also the anniversary of the Tunbridge Wells hailstorm in
1956, which initial press reports said was snow. It was certainly cool
but not that cool.

Tudor Hughes

I also remember that 1981event - at least I assume it was the same one,
as my memory as to the year is rather hazy. Here in West Surrey, it
didn't quite become "pitch-black", but it wasn't far short of that and
was easily enough for the street lights to come on.
--
John Hall
"If you haven't got anything nice to say about anybody, come
sit next to me."
Alice Roosevelt Longworth (1884-1980)

On Tuesday, 6 August 2019 07:47:06 UTC+1, P.Chortik wrote:
Extract from the Independent newspaper of August 2009 ;
1981
The cumulonimbus clouds that bring thunderstorms can reach a height of 16 kilometres (almost 10 miles). If they are one of the thicker variety they can block out most, and occasionally all, of the sun's light. On 6 August 1981, one that was eight miles high filled the sky over east Surrey and transformed a summer's day into pitch-black darkness. Street lights came on automatically, and, when the storm burst, there were extensive floods with 16 buildings struck by lightning. This degree of darkness in the middle of the day is very rare, but not unprecedented. The same thing happened for the same reason in central London on 27 June 1947.
unquote
I was working in the City that day(of London)and to say the least sitting outside a pub about noon with increasing darkness,warmth,humidity and little wind with booming ever louder thunder and the odd excited scream from young women passing by was v v eerie.Leaving home about 07.30 BST that day I noticed a thundery looking sky with high-based cloud but had no idea of what was to come.

A friend of mine with 2 pre-school children who lived in Whyteleafe Sy,(near Warlingham) spoke of incredible lightning and torrential rain.At one point she was on her landline and threw the phone down when a blinding flash of lightning gave her a "shock"

Will we get the same again I wonder...
-----------
Tudor and John ; Those sort of thunderstorms are v rare now in S.E.England it seems, I searched the internet for info on the type of storms several years ago and one conclusion was they were of the multi-cell type in all probability. Gone are the days of many 'heat' thunderstorms ie. local storms developing largely in situ after a few days of high temperatures and a collapsing area of high pressure.
I honestly don't think ,in the 40 plus years of listening intently to weather forecasts, that thunderstorm predictions are much more accurate notwithstanding vastly more powerful computers. On the other hand whether it will rain or snow is an area where I perceive huge improvement.
My thinking is mainly for S.E England though...…..