Beast of the East Flashcards
where does the Uk receive most of its prevailing wind from?
south west
What caused the beast of the east?
an area of cold dense air usually sitting over the north pole split in two with one pocket blowing over Europe which weakened the jet streams bringing freezing temperatures and low pressure
name some impacts from the beast of the east
temperatures dropped to as low as -10 with wind chills of -22 (PI)
15-20cm of snow fell over 3 days (PI)
coastal areas such as cornwall suffered from powerful waves and tides around 40 cm higher than expected (PI)
an estimated 8260 road collisions took place in 3 days (SI)
1000’s of homes were left without power due to increased consumption and areas having a gas deficit (SI)
buisnesses were forced to close as for a number of days resulting in loss of profit. (SI)
name some responses to the beast of the east
the army was sent to rescue drivers
emergency services worked hard to clear snow and attend to incidents e.g. firefighters rescued two boys from under a tree
social media was used to spread messages of school closures and advertise offers of support such as taxi drivers offering to collect medicine or food for elderly people
local councils made huge efforts to clear main transport routes with gritters and ploughs
the met office issued red warning across the UK warning people that widespread damage to travel power and life was likely
