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.

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_storm_of_1987

We do have thunderstorms in the UK. But not very often. I might see forked lighting on one or two days a year.

We get occasional thunder-snowstorms, in East Coast US (Long Island, NY). I hear they are more common, Upstate.

???

There are fairly often thunderstorms here. At least 3 per year, I'd estimate.

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.

> 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.

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]

[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...

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?

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."

https://www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/new-map-of-uk-tornad...

It's just they are small, and short lived.