Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Add Reply
Thunderstorms in the southwest this evening
Topic Started: April 5 2011, 11:28 PM (318 Views)
Fergal (IWO)
Member Avatar
Admin

http://www.irishweatheronline.com/news/thunderstorms-in-the-southwest-this-evening.html

This evening we have an area of heavy rain getting into the southwest and west that is producing thunderstorms in northern Kerry as I type. There have been numerous strikes offshore in the last couple of hours, and some are now being registered inland as the area of enhanced convection moves northeastwards.

Posted Image
Today's lightning strikes, with the most recent shown as red circles. (Image: www.vedur.is)

The reason for these storms is an area of very warm and moist sub-tropical air that has been advected northwards during the day. With warm and moist air at low levels, this increases instability, leading to strong vertical updrafts that produce towering cumulonimbus clouds (see Saturday’s article). Surface dewpoints at 1800 UTC this evening were as high as 12°C, and the Valentia sounding shows a very warm and moist profile extending through the lowest 1500 metres of the atmosphere. This means plenty of latent heat release to fuel the storms and generate the strong updrafts that are building the clouds to around 35,000 feet. Support from strong upper winds and positive vorticity advection has kept convection going as it moves over increasingly cooler waters, but we should see activity decrease somewhat throughout the night.

Posted Image
Airmass RGB Satellite Picture at 1800 UTC, with 850 hPa Theta-E contours (in Kelvin), showing sub-tropical airmass to the southwest, moving northeastwards. (Image: Satreponline.org)
http://weatheire.yolasite.com
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Mark (IWO)
Member Avatar
Admin

Torrential downpour here. Big clap of thunder to my east, perhaps Limerick direction.
The coldest winter you will ever experience is a summer in West Clare.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Supercell Ian
Member Avatar
Ian (IWO)

IN that map above Mark, whats the emphisis on the 318 line?... im not so good at looking for thunderstorms on maps... only on radar! haha :D
" When the atmosphere loses its state of equilibrium , its tries to return to this state, its this process that gives us the exciting phenomena of weather today." , By , me :)
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Mark (IWO)
Member Avatar
Admin

Supercell Ian
April 6 2011, 12:59 PM
IN that map above Mark, whats the emphisis on the 318 line?... im not so good at looking for thunderstorms on maps... only on radar! haha :D

that's one for fergal I am afraid.
The coldest winter you will ever experience is a summer in West Clare.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Mark (IWO)
Member Avatar
Admin

More thunderstorms are expected in parts of the country today after a night of heavy rain.

Thunderstorms affected eastern and north-eastern coastal counties, in particular. Most of the lightning strikes were recorded offshore but a few strikes were recorded in coastal dsitricts of Wicklow, Meath and Louth, as well as parts of Down, Armagh and Antrim overnight.

Meanwhile, all parts of the country experienced torrential rain at times yesterday evening and overnight. At Valentia, 36 mm (1.5 in) of rain fell on Saturday in the 12 hours from 7am - 7pm.

Further heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected today and overnight.

According to Irish Weather Online Forecaster Peter O'Donnell: "Outbreaks of heavy rain and some thunder, will spread into the southwest this morning, and into most of the western, central and southeast counties by afternoon. There is a risk of spot flooding in the southwest where the ground is alreadysaturated. There will be further rain at times overnight with some thunder in places."
The coldest winter you will ever experience is a summer in West Clare.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Mark (IWO)
Member Avatar
Admin

FULL STORY WITH lightning radar
http://www.irishweatheronline.com/news/storms/heavy-rain-and-thunderstorms-across-ireland/14018.html
The coldest winter you will ever experience is a summer in West Clare.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Mark (IWO)
Member Avatar
Admin

reports of lightning in kenmare


Attached to this post:
Attachments: sf_na_1d.gif (15.75 KB)
The coldest winter you will ever experience is a summer in West Clare.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
ZetaBoards - Free Forum Hosting
Free Forums. Reliable service with over 8 years of experience.
« Previous Topic · Irish Weather Forecast & Discussion · Next Topic »
Add Reply

tm