UK Weather Hazards Flashcards

All 7 cards in this deck

Name four types of weather hazard experienced in the UK.

Strong winds and storms, heavy rain and flooding, snow and ice, and drought or heatwaves (also thunderstorms and lightning).

Give two causes of the Somerset Levels floods (winter 2013–14).

A succession of Atlantic depressions brought record rainfall (over 350 mm in Jan–Feb); high tides and storm surges stopped rivers draining, and the rivers had not been dredged for over 20 years.

Give two social impacts of the Somerset Levels floods (2013–14).

Around 600 homes were flooded; villages such as Muchelney were cut off and residents were evacuated for several months.

Give two economic impacts of the Somerset Levels floods (2013–14).

Over £10 million of damage; 14,000 hectares of farmland were under water for weeks and the Bristol–Taunton railway was closed at Bridgwater.

Give two management strategies used in the Somerset Levels Flood Action Plan after 2014.

8 km of the Rivers Tone and Parrett were dredged; riverbanks and road levels were raised, with a tidal barrage planned at Bridgwater.

Give two pieces of evidence that weather in the UK is becoming more extreme.

A record temperature of 40.3°C at Coningsby in July 2022; record-breaking rainfall such as the wettest winter in over 250 years (2013–14) and more frequent named storms.

True or false? Tornadoes are never experienced in the UK.

False. The UK has tornadoes, usually weak ones, alongside hazards such as thunderstorms, heavy rain, snow, drought and strong winds.