Floridian Convection....

Life's a bitch sometimes...and I just haven't had the time to update my blog for quite some time.

I thought I'd have a look see today and was shocked at how long it is since I sat down and added something. Truth is the weather has been pretty uninteresting in these parts for quite some time. Not really anything to write home about...let alone update a blog.

El Nino has 'put paid' to the North Atlantic Tropical Cyclone season as far as the Caribbean & Americas are concerned...and the British Isles sit in a mild and largely damp and mild weather pattern.

But hang on...I've just 'found' some photos taken in Florida in September. Good enough...all taken during (or close to) heavy thunderstorms.

Click on the images for a larger view...Enjoy.....

Noctilucent Clouds North of Belfast...

Quick blog entry here.

The Mesosphere has been very active with Noctilucent Clouds this week. In fact at 0300 hrs on 17th June I saw the best display of my life.


If you wanna know what they are have a look at this link:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noctilucent_cloud


Anyway, last night I was wondering if they would appear again and they did. Marvellous...and the sky was this beautiful glow.








You'll need to click on the photo to get the larger size image.

Thunderstorm over Belfast ~ 14 June 2009

Took a few interesting shots of a thunderstorm over Belfast today. Hope you like them.

There was some hail and plenty of lightning...and a few scud tags were moving around under it at one stage.

Dominating & Surging into Tornadoes....

It's been a while (mainly due to work commitments) since I had the time to update this blog.

Anyway...I have been interested and amused by the antics of one Reed Timmer and his valiant team driving his armoured intercept vehicle (aptly named the Dominator) at least two tornadoes...and probably more.

The vortex is spotted, assessed and the vehicle is directed more or less straight into the tornadoes path. This is done in a blaze of shouting and verbal chaos...with the passing of the tornado marked with major laughter, glee and an element of relief. Discovery are with him filming and I have to say what has happened so far with him (and his team don't forget) looks to make spectacular television for later this year.

Now, I am aware Reed is an aquired taste as far as some chasers are concerned...but I have to hold my hat up and recognise what he has done so far. As far as the outstanding televison is concered...that's all well and good, But what is priceless is the data. Reed Timmer (whether some like it or not) is getting outstanding data....data we could not have even wished for only a couple of years ago.

Now hold on...lets also consider the (extremely likable) Sean Casey who drove into tornadoes long before Reed ever did. The difference here is the fact that Reed has been getting close to tornadoes consistently...and now as a result of this he is able to drive into them consistently. Sean (often accompanied by a DoW) does show a level of caution and restraint...something Reed doesn't (appear to).

I admire their courage (both Reed & Sean)...and I won't say foolhardy either...cause I'd love to be in that TVN Dominator headed into a tornado myself. In the words of the great Geoff Mackley..."you only know you're truly alive when you're in that much danger!".

I look forward to watching the rest of the season pan out...and hope Reed, Joel and Chris are well strapped in when that thing eventually gets rolled.

Now that would make great TV as long as they don't get hurt.

Wait...hang on a minute!

***STOP PRESS***

I'm just reading on Facebook....TVN are testing a Radio Controlled Plane!!

It's All Going Quiet Over There..!

Yes, yes...it is...the US Plains that is.

The Great Plains has entered a quiet period where 'chase weather' will be very hard to come by. The moisture and instability has been ridged out and the pattern looks to hold for at least a week or two.

Yes, there maybe storms somewhere...but they will be few and far between. What there are will be crawled over by desperate chasers and the Vortex 2 project. Not good...and that's no criticism of anyone. People book time off work (stateside) and people fly over to chase...and this is all organised months ahead...so they want storms.

Thankfully yours truly is heading out to Florida to do the evening storms thing in September (yes the storms get later in the day/evening as the wet season progresses) and maybe pick up a tropical cyclone. So I don't have that problem.

Personally, if I was flying over I may consider touring around and visit Yellowstone and some other touristy meccas.

I may even consider (if you have to do a touristy mecca thing) not collecting my car at all and get an internal flight direct to Orlando, Tampa or Sanford and go where there are storms (with a severe risk on 19th/20th May) and tourist meccas. You can always plan to drift back in your hire car as the plains 'perhaps' start to become active once again.

It's a matter of personal choice. Would you rather be scratching around looking for moisture and convection...or would you rather be literally swimming in it. Record heat and an early start to the wet season there mean things are active. Okay...you might not get supercells, but you will get highly electrified pulse type storms and some more organised clusters.

I know what I would do....May is a quiet month (tourist-wise) and Typhoon Lagoon is great at this time of year...

Funnel Clouds & Thunderstorms...

It's been a while hasn't it...since the last time I posted my musings.

Well, I've been pretty busy lately...and not with convection. Work is taking priority and I have had little time for weather matters. However, that is not to say I don't look every day and consider what may be in the offing.

Just such a day was Saturday 26th April. Thunderstorms were a racing certainty along a cold front (CF) that was edging into Northern Ireland. I raced out of the starting blocks as towers went up and headed home to collect my chasing paraphernalia. Once there...I realised a reverse journey was going to be needed as the CF passed me going in the opposite direction prior to reaching Belfast.

So off back up the Motorway I headed in the direction of a now ongoing storm between Ballyclare and Ballymena. My place of work confirmed that a storm was chucking our hail at a rather drastic rate. Sadly though, some severe flooding just beyond Ballyclare prevented any further progress.

After seeking some radar advice from Howard ( http://www.howardkirbyphotography.co.uk/ ) I decided to take a run down the side of Lough Neagh and try to intercept a storm down that way. It soon became apparent that I was on the wrong side of the Lough and that any intercept would be virtually impossible. I help position for some lightning as darkness came...but there was none to be seen. The whole event had ended.

Undaunted...

The next best convective day was Monday 27th April. I was headed to work and decided to go via N. Irelands highest road (1300ft ~ Shillanvogy Road) at the back of Slemish. Convection was building and there was a fair bit of hail up there. I got out of the car for a 20 minute view at the developing towers. It was a day of stout convection and there was a lot of motion in those bases...particularly one over between Belfast and Antrim.

Then suddenly I noticed the tell-tale lowering of a rather stout Funnel Cloud. It was good enough to be beyond doubt even at the range I was at. The view was clear and a pair of binos confirmed the rotation....not that I needed to check really. Texts and tweets flying out from my phone...and the info gets passed fairly quickly from there.

It was later in the day that someone posted a photo of the very same on Netweather, a UK Weather forum. It was posted by (credit) Jello of Co Antrim.

You can see it here:

http://www.netweather.tv/forum/index.php?s=8ffe36e3ac640f257ed2bf6f9b667218&act=attach&type=post&id=81710

Spring May Well be Here (at last)

Quiet times for Convective North.

It's been a while since anything has actually happened. Certainly no thunder even as yet in 2009 for me.

Might have to go to Florida and do something about that. No seriously...

Sunny days are the order of the day with rather cool winds from the SE. Beautiful days though. I shouldn't complain though as I am the first to admit to being glad to see the back of winter 08/09. It has been really, really shite to say the least.

One good thing about April/May is the fact we usually see some pretty good thunderstorms in certain parts of the UK. I look forward to that...I even look forward to seeing them in Europe. One thing about Europe is that there is a pretty big hot-spot for severe thunderstorms and supercells. This is Poland and the Czech Republic. One day I may well chase there...but that would be during a Summer.

Promotion time!

A friend of mine has just begun his own weather site. Howard Kirby is an outstanding and (some would say opinionated) Weather & Nature photographer. You can find his site here....

http://www.howardkirbyphotography.co.uk/

Ttfn....