UK Weather Hazards

Question 1

What weather hazards does UK experience ?

Answer 1

Rain
Wind
Thunderstorms
Snow and ice 
Hailstorms
Heat waves
Drought

Question 2

What’s evidence that the UK is becoming more extreme?

Answer 2

Temperatures more extreme - December 2010 was the coldest for over 100 years April warmest

Raining more - December 2015 warmest month ever recorded

Major flooding - Cumbria

Question 3

What’s the extreme weather case study

Answer 3

Long period of heavy snow and cold

Cold air from northern Europe and Siberia

Question 4

What are the social impacts

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Answer 4

Several people died from hypothermia or accidents-icy roads

• Water pipes froze and burst
• 40,000 homes in northern Ireland without water
• 7000 schools closed on 2nd November

Question 5

What are the economic impacts

Answer 5

Transport networks were disrupted

• M8 were closed for 2 days
• Drivers trapped in cars over 15 hours
• people couldn’t get to work
• Run up to Christmas 2010 sales down
• overall economic impact £1.6 billion

Question 6

What are the environmental impacts

Answer 6

Snow covered all of UK over 50 cm thick

• frost damaged crops especially sugar beet
• use of gas and electricity was more that double increasing CO2

Question 7

What are the management strategies

Answer 7

PREDICTION - warning systems give people time to prepare eg.Met office

• PROTECTION - Councils stocked up on gritters
• PLANNING - plans to close schools