Hythe hit by summer hailstorm
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It may be June but Hythe was
pelted with hail yesterday afternoon, drenching those caught
out in the five minute burst.
Black clouds had rolled in after
3.30pm with rumbles of thunder echoing about in the distance. It
was an isolated strip of cloud, with clear weather on either
side.
Sarah Linney, working at Holiday
Extras, was shocked by the sudden turn of events: "One minute it
was clear and sunny, the next the heavens opened and intensely
heavy rain began crashing down. Our office is a big modern building
with lots of glass, so we could hear it clattering violently on the
roof. Then the clattering became even louder and I looked out of
the window and saw hailstones tumbling onto the boardwalk. I just
couldn’t believe it - it’s June for goodness’ sake!
"But it was all over as quickly as
it started - within five minutes the sun was out again and if it
hadn’t been for the wet ground I’d have thought I’d dreamed the
whole thing."
Hythe resident Richard Denham was
caught out in the hail and found himself unexpectedly drenched,
despite standing in sunshine.
He said: "It was very brief and
only lasted five minutes. There were claps of thunder in the
distance and huge black clous. It’s the June Monsoon - you often
get thunderstorms at this time of year and snow up north.
Damage to a building in
Hythe after a similar storm last year
"It all cleared away soon after and
the sky was bright blue and warm enough to sit outside."
Met Office spokesperson Sarah
Holland agreed that it was not unusual, and added: "Things have
been a bit topsy turvey at the moment and there was a tornado in
Hull on Thursday.
"We have had some very active
thunderstorms and there have been some areas of intense low
pressure. There was even a fall of snow in the Cairngorms."
This weekend’s weather [June 13 and
14] is expected to be cloudy with light winds and the possiblity of
rain, clearing to bright sunshine on Sunday.
If you have any pictures of the
hailstorm please call our newsdesk on 01233 623232 or email images
to kentishexpress@thekmgroup.co.uk
Friday, June 12 2009
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