the Beast from the East

Question 1

when was the Beast from the East?

Answer 1

25th February 2018

Question 2

what was it caused by?

Answer 2

a change to the northern polar jet stream which twisted its direction unexpectedly, drawing in cold air to the UK from the East

Question 3

what was the bending caused by?

Answer 3

a jump in temperatures high over the Arctic- sudden stratospheric warming

Question 4

what did the sudden warming cause?

Answer 4

it weakened the jet stream that brings warm air in from the Atlantic to Ireland and Britain- this allowed cold air in from the East

Question 5

what brought snow?

Answer 5

this air picked up moisture over the North sea bringing snow

Question 6

what coast did this mainly affect?

Answer 6

the East coast

Question 7

what happened on the 1st of March?

Answer 7

a depression called storm Emma started to move in from the SE (from the Atlantic) across Cornwall- causing even more snow as it hit the cold air sat over the UK

Question 8

what weather warnings did the Met Office issue?

Answer 8

red weather warnings

Question 9

deaths?

Answer 9

one man in London died after being pulled from a frozen lake
3 other reported deaths

Question 10

where was snow dropped?

Answer 10

huge amounts in the East coast of the UK and in the Scottish borders

Question 11

how much snow was there in parts of Dartmoor, Exmoor and uplands parts of South- East Wales?

Answer 11

50 cm (19 inches)

Question 12

what were the gusts like in parts of Northern England and Wales?

Answer 12

gusts of 60-70mph

Question 13

what temperatures did rural areas experience?

Answer 13

-12 degrees celsius

Question 14

what were the snow drifts like?

Answer 14

as high as 7m in places

Question 15

what did British Airways do?

Answer 15

cancelled hundreds of short-haul flights from Heathrow and London City Airport also cancelled many services

Question 16

what happened to hospitals in Glasgow, Grimsby, Scunthorpe and Goole?

Answer 16

they cancelled all outpatient appointments and Harrogate hospital asked staff who can walk to work to go in to cover shifts

Question 17

how many schools were closed?

Answer 17

thousands

Question 18

what did the Scottish Premiership do?

Answer 18

they postponed their games

Question 19

what did police in Macclesfield do?

Answer 19

arrested two suspected thieves after tracking their footprints in the snow

Question 20

what happened on the A31?

Answer 20

hundreds of people were trapped in their vehicles for hours

Question 21

how many collisions were there (estimated by the AA)?

Answer 21

8260 in just 3 days- insurance cost was over £10 million

Question 22

what happened on the A66?

Answer 22

a baby was born after the parents failed to make it to the hospital

Question 23

where were their major accidents?

Answer 23

on the A1 in Northumberland

Question 24

what were stranded drivers given?

Answer 24

foil blankets

Question 25

when were the army called in?

Answer 25

when Storm Emma hit

Question 26

what did a Greggs Delivery driver do?

Answer 26

gave out free food to stranded drivers

Question 27

what did the Public Health England (PHE) do?

Answer 27

urged people to plan ahead- ensuring they have enough food and medicine

Question 28

how many stations in Kent closed?

Answer 28

50

Question 29

what did the Army and RAF personnel do?

Answer 29

they were called in to ferry health workers through blocked roads in Lincolnshire and in Scotland
ten RAF 4x4 vehicles with 20 airmen began transporting health staff from dawn in Lincolnshire after an urgent request from local police