Extreme Weather in the UK case study Flashcards
1
Q
What are the 6 types of extreme weather in the UK?
A
- thunderstorms
- prolonged rain
- strong winds
- heatwave
- drought
- heavy snow and extreme cold
2
Q
Describe thunderstorms with an examples.
A
- electrical storms
- most common in south and east of UK
- lead to fires, deaths and damage to property
- 2014, 3000 lightening strikes across South of Britain alone
3
Q
Describe prolonged rain with examples.
A
- persistent rainfall
- flooding
- deaths, damage to homes, possessions, disrupted transport links, force businesses to close, cost millions in repair
- 2014, flooding was widespread
4
Q
Describe strong winds with examples.
A
- west coast
- remnants of hurricanes from USA and Caribbean
- damage to property, disruption to travel, cut power lines, uproot trees, sometimes deaths
- Feb 2014 saw 105mph winds, 21,000 left without power
5
Q
Describe heatwaves with examples.
A
- very high persistent temperatures
- heat exhaustion, breathing difficulties, disruption to travel
- in 2003, lots of Europe suffered most extreme heatwave for 500 years and 20,000 died
6
Q
Describe droughts with examples.
A
- lack of rain persistently
- rivers and reservoirs run dry
- economic impacts such as crop failures, social impacts such as rules for conserving water, wildlife struggle
- 2012
7
Q
Describe heavy snow and extreme cold with examples.
A
- long periods of sever winter weather
- injuries from slipping, deaths from cold among elderly and homeless, schools and businesses close, travel disrupted
- North UK winter 2010
8
Q
What are some ways of managing extreme weather?
A
planning, snow ploughs, sand bags, boarding windows, managed flooding, road gritting, afforestation, river engineering, dam construction
