UK Weather Hazards (AQA GCSE Geography)

UK's climate

• The UK has a mild, seasonal climate-cool, wet winters and warm wet summers
• Continentality, the North Atlantic Drift and air masses affect the UK weather
  • Continentality:
    • Coastal areas are warmer in winter and cooler in summer 
    • Seas take up the heat in the summer, cooling the surrounding land
    • During the winter, the heat is released, keeping the coastal land warmer
  • North Atlantic Drift:
    • Ocean currents bringing warm waters from the Caribbean to the west coast of the UK
    • This keeps the west coast of the UK warmer than other regions of the UK
  • Air Masses:
    
    • Large volumes of air with similar water content and temperatures
    • Classified by the region where they form: 
      • Arctic or Polar cold air
      • Tropical warm air
      • Maritime wet air
      • Continental dry air
• Five types of air masses that bring different weather to the UK:

The UK's Air Masses

UK's extreme weather

• Depressions:
  • Bring very wet and windy with unstable, low-pressure weather
  • Depressions form when warm air meets cold air
  • Form over the Atlantic Ocean, then move east over the UK
  • The strongest winds and heaviest rains are in the autumn due to sea waters releasing summer heat and meeting colder Polar air
• Anticyclones:
  • Bring very cold or very hot, stable, high-pressure dry weather
  • Also, form over the Atlantic Ocean and move east over the UK
  • Winter anticyclones bring long periods of cold, foggy weather
  • Summer anticyclones cause periods of hot, dry, clear weather

UK weather hazards

• The UK experiences different weather hazards - rain, wind, heatwaves, thunderstorms, hailstorms, drought, snow and ice

Types of Weather Hazards in the UK

• The UK's weather is becoming more extreme
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned that temperatures will increase during this century
• Global warming increases the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events through increased evaporation and rainfall
• Scientists believe the UK will continue to experience higher amounts of rainfall and increased temperatures:
  • Since the 1980s extreme winter rainfall has increased
  • UK temperatures have increased by about 1°C since 1980
• Other examples of extreme weather in the UK include:
  • More frequent and heavier rainstorms, particularly in the autumn 
  • Gales
  • Flooding
  • Heatwaves
  • Droughts
  • Thick fog
  • Heavy snowfall
• Temperatures have become more extreme in recent years
  • Unusually cold winters occurred in 2010-11 and 2014-15
  • Temperatures fell to -10°C with frost destroying crops and killing livestock
  • Over 17,000 trains were cancelled in 2014 due to the freezing conditions and flights were delayed
• Frequent, heavy rainfall in autumn is followed by major flooding
  • The UK is regularly hit by depressions which bring heavy rain to the west coast of the UK
  • During the winter of 2013/14 there were prolonged Atlantic storms, with persistent rainfall and gale-force winds
  • Causing the Somerset Levels to experience unprecedented flooding 
  • Roughly 10% of the area was underwater at the height of the flood
  • Over 600 homes and 6880 hectares of agricultural land were flooded, along with a number of villages being cut off through flooded roads 

Beast from the East 2018 

• Background:
  • Began in January 2018 when the stratosphere suddenly warmed
  • This generated a large rise in air temperature of around 50°C in an area approximately 29km above the Earth at the North Pole
  • This sudden warming weakened the jet stream (which usually brings in the warmer air) and allowed the cold air from western Russia to 'flood' over Europe 
• Social impacts:
  • Schools across the country were closed for up to 3 days
  • 10 killed across the country
  • Hundreds trapped in their cars on roads and motorways
  • The UK issued a gas deficit warning
  • Gas supplies were running low and thousands were without power
  • NHS cancelled non-urgent operations
• Economic impacts:
  • The cost to the UK economy was estimated at least £1bn a day 
  • Shops, leisure facilities, theatres, cinemas and restaurants were severely impacted as people were told to stay indoors and not travel
  • Trains were stranded on tracks overnight, causing delays for many businesses
  • Thousands of businesses without or reduced power causing loss of earnings
  • Road closures meant workers and materials couldn't get through, forcing some businesses to close, whilst still accumulating costs
• Environmental impacts:
  • Farmers lost crops and livestock during the freezing conditions
  • 15-20cm of snow fell over 3 days
  • Snow drifts of up to 7m in some rural areas of the UK
  • Temperatures dropped to -10°C with a wind chill of -22°C in some places
  • Wind speeds exceeded 70mph
• Management strategies included:
  • Met Office issued Red Warning to stop people travelling
  • Government asked businesses to reduce their gas usage, so the country didn’t run out allowing people to have their heating on for longer
  • Community centres were opened for those who are homeless to avoid further deaths from exposure to the extreme temperatures
  • Snow ploughs gritters and tractors out to clear roads to help people travel again
  • Armed forces deployed to rescue drivers and drive NHS workers to work to help the sick and poorly
  • Gregg's delivery van driver handed out food to those trapped in their cars to avoid hunger
  • Taxi firms provided help to the elderly by bringing shopping and medicines to those in need
  • Red Cross issued blankets to people stranded in Glasgow Airport