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THUNDERSTORM T0040 This was the same system as T0039 earlier in the day, with Spanish Plume elements, but actually this time was more akin to the Atlantic cold front and upper trough running into the west edge of it. There were only 3 cells in the country and all 3 were visible from Macclesfield. Cells 1 and 2 were likely linked and occurred ahead of the cold front, showing mid-level characteristics with smooth bases. Cell 3 was a long-lived MCS which passed over Wales and out west of Macclesfield in the distance, likely riding the wave tip of the upper trough by the looks of it, and was linear and surface-based in nature with lower cloud and arcus. Cells 1 and 2 in this case as it hit first was shown on the radar developing in lee of the Welsh mountains just to the south of the Pennine ridge, which suggests it may have been orographically encouraged, a mechanism which works well with altocumulus Castlellanus (mid-level waves inducing ascent downstream). It clipped Macclesfield to the southeast before Cell 3 (the frontal cell) approached and was seen from a fair distance. A fair amount of C-G and C-C was observed from all cells.
Cell 3's large wave of low-level stratus cloud gave away the fronta/surface based nature of it.
The lightning activity of Cell 3 was situated at the back-end near the updraughts in the form of distant C-Cs and I-Cs. Although they were too far away to hear the thunder, they showed up well against the cloud in the fading light.
SFERICS
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© Mark Seltzer
www.electricsky.co.uk