Looking very wet indeed for here http://expert-images.weatheronline.co.uk/daten/proficharts/en/nae/2013/07/27/basis12/ukuk/rsum/13072812_2712.gif

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From dark skies, a sudden cascade of fat rain drops - very rapid convective development there.

Only lasted a minute or two, but it's a start. No lightning.

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Getting suddenly quite dark here now and moderate rain is now falling, I'm sure I heard my garden plants scream a sigh of relief.

After shoving evrything into the shed earlier, we had no more than 5 rain drops an hour ago from the first splodge.

That's a total of 7 rain drops now for July.

The area leaving France now looks a bit more robust it has to be said.

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Some downpour returns just to leave the French coast
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/radar/ 

Much more lightning in that area too. Getting going now!
http://www.meteox.com/h.aspx?r=&jaar=-3&soort=loop1uur&lightning=1 

Same here. Rained for a minute and a few rumbles of thunder, then the sun came out and appears sunnier than before, almost tropical.

Almost stair rods

Raining for half hour now

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A light rain shower has dropped the temperature a bit, but only to 24c. It smells damp and rainy, but it's so warm. Love it.

Heavy rain, accumulated 10.6mm in the last 45 minutes or so. Saw an amazing shelf cloud earlier, one of the best I've seen in years. Typically didn't have my camera with me, stretched for miles.

Have had 1 rumble of thunder here and a short shower of fat rain drops, gone now and getting sunny again.

1.2mm here George, temp 20.6c, down from 26.6c at 14:16.

A lot more to come, in a few hours, if the channel doesn't kill it off.

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Temp. has fallen to 14.1C in this rain.

Yes the radar is looking really good as it stands. I'm a bit worried about the channel, but hopefully if it retains its intensity, it might further intensify as it moves inland across the UK.

Rain has just started here in the last 5 minutes.

 

Ditto here a  bit further north.  As it stands, the torrential, electrified stuff leaving France looks on track for us here -  if it doesn't fizzle mid channel.

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Leaking roofs beware with that stuff coming up but perhaps will weaken over the hours ahead.

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From weather lover 8 in Peacehaven:we had qa lovely thunderstorm this afternoon at 3o clock with downpour for half an hour in Seaford and Peacehaven. Has anybody had the same? From weather lover 8.

Hmm, the SE looks pretty thundery in a couple of hours time to me, certainly the bulk of the electrical activity looks to be delivered to SE England. Interesting the Chief Forecaster's assessment this morning backed off from severe storms in the SE. I am just wondering if they maybe should have stuck with the original assessment but I guess we will see. Perhaps the risk was associated with well separated individual cells moving up which does not look likely to be the case. 

The effect of the channel? I dunno, 1980's I would have said no effect but does not seem to be the case the last decade or so.

M

Amber warning out now for... NE England:

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/warnings/#?regionName=ne&tab=map&map=Warnings&zoom=5&lon=-3.50&lat=55.50&fcTime=1374879600 

"Although there remains some uncertainty concerning the extent of these heavy showers and thunderstorms, there is an increasing signal for an area of heavy rain with isolated thunderstorms to move north to affect northeastern England. There will be some short duration torrential rainfall and although rainfall amounts will vary considerably, there is scope for 30 to 50mm of rain to fall widely and up to 75mm in some areas."

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ppn rates off the scale in the large area mid-Channel now.
Surely this won't miss us again??

Gone still here, humid, dare I say thundery.

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Ahead of that area of precipitation.. some showers possible today over some areas. Somebig clouds beginning to tower here. Maybe something later on? Met Office seem to think so..

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The intense stuff going on radar will head into Sussex I reckon and miss Hampshire

May change, but get the feeling from last few frames of latest radars that the really heavy stuff is dying a death over mid channel.

Torrential rain here in Edinburgh. Been a warm muggy afternoon and has turned dark....edit....THUNDER!!!

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Yes, its so dark here Ray the street lights have come on!!