W EUROPE: Rare July Storm To Drop ‘Months Worth’ Of Rain, Batter Coasts With Severe Gales

Written by Mark Vogan on July 24, 2015 in Rest of Europe, Summer 2015, United Kingdom & Ireland with 0 Comments

While the Northern half of the British Isles has seen it’s fair share of moisture this summer, the South on the other hand hasn’t. That’s about to change as an unusually deep July low crosses through the Channel bringing coastal gales and a widespread soaking rain.

The huge SSTA gradient between central North Atlantic and off Iberia is likely the reason for such usual ‘winter’like’ lows.

CKiQKKSUsAAnykr

[s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level1)]

What’s unusual about this system is it deepens as it tracks east and it’s due to the phasing of two vorticity maxs as the jet branches of the jet come together, something you’d see in late autumn or winter, not mid summer.

Notice the two speed maxes, one coming in from the NW and the other SW. This phasing enhances lift, forcing tightening of the surface feature, stronger wind and heavier rainfall rates.

Credit: AccuWeather Pro

GFS surface shows this tightening and notice the increase in rainfall once the centre leaves the Kent/Suffolk coast.

Credit: AccuWeather Pro

Winds will be gusting throughout the Channel and along the coast with gusts to 30 mph likely widely across inland Southern England but winds could reach rare 55kt/60-70mph territory as the low pulls away into the southern North Sea as the phasing draws in the energy from north and south. Look out for rare ‘severe gales’ along the Kent and Suffolk with big seas offshore and battering waves against the shore Saturday AM.