Amazing Electrical Storm!

[tomtom]

i have just spent the last half hout or so watching the most amazing eletrical srtorm.. its like lightning but the strikes seem to be every second or two.. all located in one small area of sky moving away from me.. we drove to the top of our vally and watched it untill we could hardly see it, it made no noise and the strikes didnt seem to be hitting the ground i have never seen anything like it!??
it was over plymouth heading off on to the moor! anyone any idea what might cause it!
i tryed to take some pictures but they didnt show up!

 

[arctic hobo]

Yes! but it's to the east of me so not your area. Strange, but pretty. No rain either, I have cycled 5 miles around and it's all dry.

 

[Moonraker]

I think what you are describing is known as 'Sheet Lightning'. Basically the electricity is discharging within the clouds. It can be really dramatic and even more so when it occurs in eerie silence

Sheet lightning is just fork lightning that happens within a cloud, or when lightning is partly hidden by clouds. Heat lightning is like sheet lightning, but is so far away that you cannot hear the thunder. It is called this because it usually happens on a hot summer night. Sometimes heat lightning can appear to be orange. This is because of particles in the air refracting the light.

from wikipedia

Intracloud lightning, sheet lightning, anvil crawlers
Intracloud lightning is the most common type of lightning which occurs completely inside one cumulonimbus cloud, jumping between different charged regions within the cloud. Intracloud lightning is commonly known as sheet lightning because it lights up the cloud and the surrounding sky with an apparent sheet of light. One special type of intracloud lightning is commonly called an anvil crawler. Discharges of electricity in anvil crawlers travel up the sides of the cumulonimbus cloud branching out at the anvil top.

I saw a incredible storm once traveling through Italy one summer. It lit the whole sky and the whole night sky was literally rippling with flashes and different colours yet no sound.

Maybe check out this site for daily storm reports:

http://www.net-weather.co.uk/index.cgi

and with photo

http://members.core.com/~tizod/lightning/defsheet.html

 

[jason01]

I noticed the humidity was building up all afternoon and we are just now getting thunder/lightning and its lashing down, basking in balmy sun all today, dinner was cooked on the barbie (lit with flint and steel ) sadly I dont have much of a view to watch the lightning from here but enjoying the storm anyway!

Whew just had a massive thunderclap, getting closer

 

[Elliott]

Spectacular was`nt it TomTom!
We were amazed aswell - 100 miles away from your location here in Dorset. Not sure what it was but we concluded it was an electrical storm - sheets and forks both being produced and I am sure a very faint grumble.

Elliott

 

[alick]

We got it in Cheshire between 5 and 6 am Sunday - thunder and a downpour just went on and on - brilliant !

 

[gb]

We had the same sort of thing here Tom, about 45mins of near constant thunder and lightning, and the lightining carried on after i could no longer hear the thunder which started at about 10.45.
This was to my north and moving eastwards, so it was'nt the same storm but it was spectacular!

 

[TAZ]

We had it over here at about 01.00-02.00. it woke me up with the flashing but there was only very very faint thunder. Spectacular to watch all the clouds being lit up.

 

[innocent bystander]

We had it in the early hours, and apparently the fire brigade were pretty busy. There was even a bit of ball lightning...

 

[MarkG]

Yep got it here to at about 02:50. REALLY loud thunder and plenty of lightning too.

 

[gillmacca]

That is spooky.
I had a dream last night, at least I think it was a dream, but all I can remember of it is loud thunder, but no lightning

 

[Bob]

This part of Dorset (South) had it a bit different! We had the lightning but at one point almost continous thunder - it just rolled on and on for several minutes as a low rumbling growl. It was weird!

I'm sure our weather is getting more 'interesting' !

Bob

 

[Toddy]

This part of Dorset (South) had it a bit different! We had the lightning but at one point almost continous thunder - it just rolled on and on for several minutes as a low rumbling growl. It was weird!

I'm sure our weather is getting more 'interesting' !

Bob

Oh good grief! *More* interesting

"Don't like the look of the weather?.....hang on, there'll be another kind in a minute "

It's Mayday, at ten to five this morning I had a beautiful calm, birdsong filled day. By seven o'clock I had a drenched moggie frantically trying to get in. By half ten I was on the road through to Cumbernauld and it was foggy. Then it poured in Stirling. By early afternoon I'd gotten back home in brilliant sunshine wearing sunglasses to drive. Now I've got high winds that have taken the flourish off the cherry trees. Thunder & lightning? you lucky people; that's fun!

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[arctic hobo]

Oh good grief! *More* interesting

"Don't like the look of the weather?.....hang on, there'll be another kind in a minute "

It's Mayday, at ten to five this morning I had a beautiful calm, birdsong filled day. By seven o'clock I had a drenched moggie frantically trying to get in. By half ten I was on the road through to Cumbernauld and it was foggy. Then it poured in Stirling. By early afternoon I'd gotten back home in brilliant sunshine wearing sunglasses to drive. Now I've got high winds that have taken the flourish off the cherry trees. Thunder & lightning? you lucky people; that's fun!

Cheers,
Toddy

Watchew on about? At least you get the sun, however infrequently

 

[gurthang]

I was camped out in the woods the night of that storm and kept wondering before I fell asleap what all the flashes where. and only realsised when i got home the next day what the flashes had been when someone said to me did that thunder and lightening wake yo uup last night.

Bah.. I always manage to sleep throught the really impressive lightning storms If anyone can tell the future let me know about the next one a week in advance so I can stay up for it.