Storm watching

[RUDD]

How many of you like a good electrical storm.

There is a place in Felixstowe next to the golf course called The Cliff Tops.

Last night I arrived after a very quickley aborted fishing session (waving 12 foot of carbon rod and reel around during a thunderstorm is not a good idea) at about 9.15 pm

There were about ten cars there.

Tens mins later there must have been about 40 cars.

The cliff tops are about half a mile from the mouth of the river Deben and over look the North sea.

Each side of the Deben are miles of low marsh land.

The Suffolk coast to the North is also very flat.

Basicly you can see for miles.

The beach has loads of concrete defense systems and there are massive shingle bars making vessel navigating dangerous.

It is one of the best storm watching spots I have ever seen.

During the winter you can watch the sea smash against the bars and sea defense and get some great waves.

During thunderstorms you can see them for miles.

Most normally come up the coast from Essex and as Walton on the Naze in Essex sticks out further than felixstowe the storm comes off the land and hits the cooler sea making a nice storm front due to the change in air pressure.

There is also the River Stour which runs into the river Orwell to the south of felixstowe which also seem to give more energy to a thunderstorm.

 

I am facinated by thunderstorms and can watch them for hours.

My Grandad lives near Chatham in Kent and always used to drive down to the coast to watch storms.

 

Are there any other storm watchers out there like me.

 

I just love the power of nature and must have seen all of the raging planet series over ten times.

[Chris Playle]

RUDD:

Are there any other storm watchers out there like me.

Count me in then.

 

Was lucky enough to witness a tornado touch down at North Ferriby (near the Humber Bridge) in May 1999. Unfortunately I was driving on the A63 when the thing cut across the road about a mile infront of me and drenched the road in hail and rain. All traffic stopped as you couldn't see anything Since that day I have been fascinated with weather and storms.

 

I'd love to move further South as there seems to be countless more storms than up here.

 

I've been counting up the pennies for a trip to Texas to do some serious storm chasing. I don't think I'll get the Missus within a hundred miles of a storm though so I'll have to make do with what we get over here. Mind you, we had three tornadoes/waterspouts last year.

 

Now that I've got the camera sussed out I can record better pictures of storms and cloud cover.

 

Looking forward to August/September time when the lightning really gets geared up over this way.

 

Tight Lines.

 

Chris

[Leon Roskilly]

RUDD:

Are there any other storm watchers out there like me.

Back in the late '60s, I was sat out in the garden of our house in Leyton, Greater London, watching a 'dry' storm.

 

I'd taken a kitchen chair into the garden to watch the show.

 

It was a warm summer's evening, and the dusk was momentarily being turned back to daylight by the flashing between clouds.

 

Then I saw around 5 glowing objects coming toward me, flying in a changing formation.

 

It looked really spooky, outlined against the dark clouds, lit by sudden bursts of lightning.

 

As I realised that the objects were coming directly toward me, the hairs on the back of my neck began to stand up!

 

Their flight was totally silent, and the loose formation kept changing as they approached.

 

I couldn't judge size or height, and if they had passed by at an angle to me, I would have been convinced I'd seen a small squadron of UFOs.

 

But they passed directly overhead, and it was only as I looked directly upwards that I saw their shapes.

 

Glowing seagulls, flapping wings!!

 

As a merchant seaman, I had seen St Elmo's lights, clinging to rigging etc, but that had always been to a grounded object.

 

I've never heard of glowing birds, or ever seen them since.

 

Carrying a charge of electricity, I've often wondered what their fate had been when they finally touched down!

 

Some UFO reports (particularly around that time in Suffolk) talked of 'glowing crosses' moving across the sky (some had been chased by a police patrol car!).

 

I'm now convinced that such reports are caused by birds carrying an electrical charge.

 

Can anyone with a greater understanding of the physics explain it more? Would the birds have survived touchdown? Why is the phenonomen so rare? Does it have anything to do with ball-lightning?

 

Tight Lines - leon

[*Ant*]

Great topic and great post Leon. I love a good storm but i'm sure there used to be many many more when I was a young lad.

[Peter]

A few years ago I had a small fishing boat that I kept at shotley marina at the junction of the rivers Orwell and Stour. I believe it was July time, anyhow a beautiful summer day. I decided to go the Orwell towards Ipswich. Had a nice day in the sunshine (caught nothing) while travelling back down the river towards Shotley I was watching a really magnificent storm which when I first saw it was probably down towards Clacton. Lots of lightning but I was still in sunshine. As I approached Felixstowe Port the storm suddenly got rather too close. A strong wind and rain so heavy it blocked out all views beyond about quarter mile. Of course where were my waterproofs? back on shore in my vehicle. not needed on a sunny day!! a further 20mins back to base and the rain stopped as I got there. Moral of the story. even on a nice day the weather can change.

Peter