the Beast from the East Flashcards
when was the Beast from the East?
25th February 2018
what was it caused by?
a change to the northern polar jet stream which twisted its direction unexpectedly, drawing in cold air to the UK from the East
what was the bending caused by?
a jump in temperatures high over the Arctic- sudden stratospheric warming
what did the sudden warming cause?
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
what brought snow?
this air picked up moisture over the North sea bringing snow
what coast did this mainly affect?
the East coast
what happened on the 1st of March?
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
what weather warnings did the Met Office issue?
red weather warnings
deaths?
one man in London died after being pulled from a frozen lake
3 other reported deaths
where was snow dropped?
huge amounts in the East coast of the UK and in the Scottish borders
how much snow was there in parts of Dartmoor, Exmoor and uplands parts of South- East Wales?
50 cm (19 inches)
what were the gusts like in parts of Northern England and Wales?
gusts of 60-70mph
what temperatures did rural areas experience?
-12 degrees celsius
what were the snow drifts like?
as high as 7m in places
what did British Airways do?
cancelled hundreds of short-haul flights from Heathrow and London City Airport also cancelled many services
what happened to hospitals in Glasgow, Grimsby, Scunthorpe and Goole?
they cancelled all outpatient appointments and Harrogate hospital asked staff who can walk to work to go in to cover shifts
how many schools were closed?
thousands
what did the Scottish Premiership do?
they postponed their games
what did police in Macclesfield do?
arrested two suspected thieves after tracking their footprints in the snow
what happened on the A31?
hundreds of people were trapped in their vehicles for hours
how many collisions were there (estimated by the AA)?
8260 in just 3 days- insurance cost was over £10 million
what happened on the A66?
a baby was born after the parents failed to make it to the hospital
where were their major accidents?
on the A1 in Northumberland
what were stranded drivers given?
foil blankets
