Terrifying freak storm ..........

[Ann]

Well in Leicestershire this afternoon we have experienced a storm like no other - one of almost biblical proportions! It started with a sky so dark, it reminded me of the total eclipse we had about 15 yrs ago when day turned to night! Then it started .........The hailstones were as big as golf balls and kept crashing against all the house windows I was quite sure they would break .... my brother was driving on the outskirts of town at the time and just had to pull in a layby, the hail dented his car, broke his front light and at least 5 birds dropped from the sky into the road killed by the hailstones I presume. A tree also fell onto a car in our town.
Our neighbours were not as lucky as us - carports shattered, and windscreens gone. Our street, on a hill, was flowing like a river with ice floating on top, my window boxes were full of water and all my bedding plants submerged and my patio was flooded.
Just as it all calmed down it started again and we had a repeat performance, I was really shaking with fright! Have never experienced anything like it before or want to again ...............like the end of the world :( thank goodness its passed and the sun is shining again and we are safe!

[jno]

definitely heading north

http://www.raintoday.co.uk/

the pagans and animists of Brighton are safe for now.

[gness]

Tony`s dark thread Shoota.

[seadogg]

Its the mammatus cloud that makes the sky so dark and the great anvil cloud above it that brings these extreme conditions. Worth being able to recognise it
as what follows can be life threatening unless you have solid shelter. Saw one of these storms lead to the clearing of a camping site in The Rockies as the big recreational vehicles were swept down the river.

[jno]

it's made the news, Ann... Leics cars face being written off

http://www.guardian.c...otor-hailstone-damage

[wendilla]

http://i50.tinypic.com/w5z6h.jpg

Bad this area too Ann lots of windscreens smashed also roof tiles ect. Never seen anything like it.

[mazie]

Here's another report Ann from The Mail

http://www.dailymail....tic-thunderstorm.html

We got the storm but no hail stones

[Ann]

Thanks everyone for your posts, just got back after popping out - well, its a different world outside now, its calm, warm, the evening sun is lovely and looks like a nice sunset coming with all the banks of cloud tinged with sun. It seems strange that our part of the country hit the headlines for once, but at least as far as I know, nobody was hurt in our town. Let's all remember tonight the poor family of the man from Shropshire who was swept away in the terrifying flash floods this morning. x

[askyourgran]

My daughter rang to ask if we were OK. She said it was bad in Birmingham today. We've just had heavy rain showers here. I finished my ironing, sun shining and sweating. Further up North, Newcastle Racing was cancelled due to the weather.Glad you're OK. No storm damage.

[Ann]

Found lots of YouTube clips from the storm in Leics so you can get some idea of what it was like!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYtmaxbCSfo&feature=related

[cazzz1975]

I was in that same storm this morning on the m6, as dark as night, the roads were like rivers and you couldn't see in front of you, I managed to get off the motorway, it was scary scary stuff, the lightening was non stop and the hail/rain was unbelievable!

[Ann]

This is just what it was like in our county - this is about 20 miles from us but just same weather! Look at 00.50 to see the size of the hail!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY6_NK1I9W8

[mazie]

we didn't get the hail Ann but the street was like a river and the lightning was scary

[Ann]

I'm glad I watched it from the comfort of our house cazzz it must have been much worse driving and so dangerous on the motorway! I honestly was worried about our little "families" of baby blackbirds who we have been feeding this week, but you know, they are so intelligent, they hid under the safety of our rose arch and a shrub close to our patio door..... they sat there huddled together looking round, you could almost read their minds "good grief, what is this? we are getting outta here!!" The poor birds my brother saw on the main road weren't so lucky, they literally dropped out of the sky, poor things.

[Ann]

Gness, sorry I didn't see your question re tornado, No I don't think so, but the weather was so freaky I wouldn't have ruled it out!

[Ann]

O my goodness, not again, its getting so black, I'm sure it's not normal "night" clouds :(

[gness]

That`s okay Ann. Radio N. reported a tornado! Have you lost any plants?

[Ann]

LOL all the plants I so labourously put in yesterday in my window boxes and tubs were completely submerged in water, floating and battered with hailstones. The water has drained now but the poor petunias look a sorry sight :( also I've tried hanging basket tomatoes this year grown from seed, they were just getting going - you should see the poor things now! My roses are mostly over the lawn, petals everywhere, what a shame and such a mess!

[chrissa1]

We had it at about 4 o'clock in Northumberland. I live on a hill and the water was rushing so fast downhill that it washed away the pavement surface.

[Ann]

Yes Chrissa I saw it had gone your way - its gone out into the North Sea above Aberdeen now - see the blue colour on this map, good for tracking if and when to take cover!
http://www.raintoday.co.uk/

[gness]

So disheartening for you Ann.