A corollary of everywhere in the UK being North of anywhere in the USA (apart from the cheat-code that is Alaska). The UK is just too damn North, and therefore too damn cold (regardless of the Gulf Stream effect) for the heat-exchange that powers big thunderstorms
Except when it's not ,of course. I recall the Great Storm of 1987 [1], being at Imperial College at the time, and seeing the trees fall and hit some of the campus halls. Fortunately, Linstead Hall (there was an immense tree outside my window) wasn't one of them.
It's more about the oceanic climate. According to the map in the article, continental areas at similar latitudes see more thunderstorms than the UK. I guess that's mostly because temperate thunderstorms often happen near the front between cold and warm air masses, and continental climates give you more opportunities for that.
ofalkaed · 7h ago
There was not one thunderstorm in the years I lived in the PNW or the years I lived in Austin TX, it is more complicated than how far north you are. There was a very good thunderstorm during my vacation in Alaska a few years ago but I have no idea how common they are there, no one remarked on it being a rare occurrence, just that it was a good storm.
pxeger1 · 5h ago
I knew the US was further south than one assumes, but wow. In fact, even all of Luxembourg is further north than all of the continental US!
oncallthrow · 7h ago
???
There are fairly often thunderstorms here. At least 3 per year, I'd estimate.
ofalkaed · 7h ago
Here in Minnesota we have had at least 6 in the past month including a thunder snowstorm, I would call "3 per year" as rare, not fairly often.
sph · 6h ago
Nonsense. I have lived in UK (London) for 13 years, and I'd say I saw on average one thunderstorm a year, and they last just a few minutes [1]. Now back in Italy, it's like every other week during the warmer months.
Anyway, the post provides more information than N=1 anecdotes. UK is just too far north for them.
1: I quite like thunderstorms, and I remember the last time there was one where I lived in N. London. It was a single instance of thunder last autumn, lasted all of 2 minutes. Quite underwhelming to say the least.
I missed the storms when I moved away. Silicon Valley's weather was so boring.
UK's at least has some variability at a timescale smaller than weekly.
mikrl · 7h ago
I read that Oceanic climates are less stable, making it harder for the massive cumulonimbus clouds associated with thunderstorms to form.
Here in Ontario, I can sit on the beach and look over westward and see storms approaching from Michigan. One summer I saw a cloud top on the horizon at about 3:30pm and managed to get in one last swim before packing the car and getting on the road right as the rain started around 5:00… European weather is not that predictable until you get into the continental zone… eastern Germany through Poland.
crustycoder · 6h ago
Yes, but:
"Although most people think of twisters striking ‘Tornado Alley’ in the US, the UK actually has more tornadoes per area than any other country."
We do have thunderstorms in the UK. But not very often. I might see forked lighting on one or two days a year.
robinsonb5 · 7h ago
Intersting - here in Norfolk I'd say I see it between half a dozen and a dozen times a year.
hermitcrab · 5h ago
Moister air, near the coast? but I spent 7 years in Suffolk and I don't remember there being a lot of lightning there either.
ChrisMarshallNY · 7h ago
We get occasional thunder-snowstorms, in East Coast US (Long Island, NY). I hear they are more common, Upstate.
switch007 · 7h ago
I seem to recall way more thunderstorms when I was younger. Turns out there was a peak during my childhood and we're now on the decline:
> "Overall, there was a reduction in the number of days of thunder in the UK per year between 1989 and 2019, according to the study. Thunderstorms increased in the north of the UK and decreased in the south" [0]
Of course there's an element of being more scared of thunderstorms when you're young and noticing them more. I also wear earplugs at night now as the world seems noisier, but I digress.
Also:
> "A 2014 study predicted the frequency of lightning strikes around the world would increase by about 12% for every 1C rise in global temperature." [1]
Huh, I was thinking the same thing, and was wondering whether it was just moving to London. Could be both, I suppose.
globular-toast · 7h ago
We have enough thunderstorms that I do get worried about lightning frying my electronics. I have surge protectors on a lot of my gear, which might offer some protection. I'd love to have an optional internet connection but, alas, copper is all that is available. Anyone bothered isolating their copper internet connection from their network? If so, how?
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politelemon · 7h ago
> I’ve been living in England for a year and I rarely saw a flash of lightning once
I cannot tell if this is satire, but that isn't enough data. The UK has thunderstorms.
Except when it's not ,of course. I recall the Great Storm of 1987 [1], being at Imperial College at the time, and seeing the trees fall and hit some of the campus halls. Fortunately, Linstead Hall (there was an immense tree outside my window) wasn't one of them.
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_storm_of_1987
There are fairly often thunderstorms here. At least 3 per year, I'd estimate.
Anyway, the post provides more information than N=1 anecdotes. UK is just too far north for them.
1: I quite like thunderstorms, and I remember the last time there was one where I lived in N. London. It was a single instance of thunder last autumn, lasted all of 2 minutes. Quite underwhelming to say the least.
I missed the storms when I moved away. Silicon Valley's weather was so boring.
UK's at least has some variability at a timescale smaller than weekly.
Here in Ontario, I can sit on the beach and look over westward and see storms approaching from Michigan. One summer I saw a cloud top on the horizon at about 3:30pm and managed to get in one last swim before packing the car and getting on the road right as the rain started around 5:00… European weather is not that predictable until you get into the continental zone… eastern Germany through Poland.
"Although most people think of twisters striking ‘Tornado Alley’ in the US, the UK actually has more tornadoes per area than any other country."
https://www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/new-map-of-uk-tornad...
It's just they are small, and short lived.
> "Overall, there was a reduction in the number of days of thunder in the UK per year between 1989 and 2019, according to the study. Thunderstorms increased in the north of the UK and decreased in the south" [0]
Of course there's an element of being more scared of thunderstorms when you're young and noticing them more. I also wear earplugs at night now as the world seems noisier, but I digress.
Also:
> "A 2014 study predicted the frequency of lightning strikes around the world would increase by about 12% for every 1C rise in global temperature." [1]
[0] https://www.wired-gov.net/wg/news.nsf/articles/How+many+days...
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/aug/18/more-than-ha...
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I cannot tell if this is satire, but that isn't enough data. The UK has thunderstorms.