A2 Weather and Climate CASE STUDIES for June 2012

Weather and Climate

A2 Level

• Air masses colliding over the UK
• Atmospheric temperature had dropped below 0 degrees C
• Jet streams and the colliding air masses trapped the cold weather above the UK
• It is believed to be a 1 in 20 year event!
• Very cold Air and High Humidity = SNOW ....................*

During the snow time period winds where coming from the east of Europe which is significenty colder than the UK during the Winter months. Aswell as this there was a trough above the UK causing clouds and water vapoure to rise very high into the atmosphere will being pushed towards the south-east of the country. This rising water vapour and clouds caused high humidity rates and this along with temperatures below 0'C with very cold air lead to pre-longed periods precipitation as snow.

• 9,000 Schools were forced to close
• Costed the UKs economy 1.2bn pounds
• Tubes where closed
• 5 Eurostar trains broke down and got stuck in the EuroTunnel
• 9 Died on Ice
• Potholes
• Hyperthemia intakes where higher than normal
• 1 in 5 couldn't get into work
• All buses in London were cancelled
• All South-Eastern train Services cancelled
• Very Dangerous Driving Conditions - Increase in the number of accidents
• 3000 police calls for crashes on certain days compared to the average of 20
• 650 Ambulance call outs between midnight to 7am at start of the snowfall
• Emergency Service call outs were substantially higher than normal
• 6.4mn of work
• Air Travel Disruption

1) 9 People died on Ice,

2) 1 in 5 Couldn't get to work

3) Cost to economy was 1.2billion

4) 3,000 schools closed on first day of snow

5) 9,000 schools ended up closing

6) 5 EuroStar trains broke down causing major disruption

7) Public Transpport Suffered, eg London buses and South-Eastern Trains ALL Cancelled

8) 3,000 police calls a day for Hants and IOW for crashes

9) 27,000 Sledges sold in one day by one retailer

10) Pizza sales increased by 30%

Background:

• Sarted on the 5th August 2003
• Average Tmperature 25degrees (PARIS)
• Max temperature in Europe over 43.3 Degrees (PARIS)
• Little cloud cover
• Caused by the Tropical Continental Air Mass
• High Pressure
• 20 to 40% less rainfall than the average for this time of year
• UK Maximum was 38.2 degrees in Kent

EFFECTS:

• 5,000 died in france
• Forest Fires
• Droughts and Hose pipe bans
• 10% of the glaciers in the Alps melted causing flash floods
• 330,000 hectares of land destroyed by forest fires (Portugal)

Effects:

• 35,000 Deaths across 5 Nations
• Bpurnemouth got around 100,000 visitors around this time going mainly for the seaside.
• Railway Lines buckled
• Dehydration
• Crop failures by lack of water, for example wheat production was down by 10%

Still to do

Cyclone Nargis (Hurricane in a LEDC)

Hurricane Katrine (Hurricane in a MEDC)