OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2002 PART TWO:
SPECTACULAR SQUALL-LINE - Nov 14th

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You do not get many chances like this in storm-chasing in the UK so you try and make the most of each and every one!

Sometimes the "right place, right time" thing is so true. Radar looked worthwhile, satellite OK, a squall-line heading across Cardigan Bay: not much on sferics but so what - plenty of instability evident - go for it!


Here's the squall line, way out over Cardigan Bay, seen from the Machynlleth-Aberdyfi road on the way into Pennal, 4 miles from Mach. Not that photogenic at this point, image shows what's coming though...

It's towering from that distance... very promising!






I arrive at the southern end of Tywyn Prom. The precipitation core will pass me by about 1-2 miles southward - perfect - for once! It's already looking quite turbulent.

Big raindrops start pelting me and I sit in the car for no more than 10 minutes, awaiting the passing and back-view of the squall....





This is starting to get interesting - mammatus hanging from the anvil of the squall that is just passing with the next one building in the distance....... the feeling of delicious anticipation of what the sky will do next....




As the sun is allowed a bit more of a role in things the underside of the anvil (now more or less overhead) starts to light up a bit... how many different cloud types can you count?




WOW!!





The next cell along the line, to the N......... classic cumulonimbus anvil-top!




I headed north from Tywyn towards Llwyngwiril. It's a clifftop coast road with a couple of good sized laybys to park up and watch. By now the cell to the north had made landfall but was obscured by low scud-cloud, so I parked up in the layby to watch the sunset. Here, beautiful cirrus backdrops the next squall-line, well out to sea........



Sunset from Aberdyfi -the next line still out in the bay......



Next day, on the Dolgellau-Tywyn road, in one of the laybys mentioned above. A very slow-moving trough stayed out in Cardigan Bay all afternoon and evening. Here you can see its position marked by a line of altocumulus with the odd Cb embedded in, like the one on the L of this image. Later, I fished from Tywyn beach as darkness fell and this Cb produced the odd flash of lightning. All in all an unforgettable day!

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