Extreme weather
Tuesday 16 June 2009
In recent years the UK has been hit with some crazy forms of weather. Here are some extreme cases.
Mega heat wave
In August 2003, England and the rest of Europe were hit with the hottest heatwave ever recorded. In Kent, the weather reached a scorching 38.1 degrees celsius!
You’d think that the sudden heat was a welcome treat, but just a few months later there was already worry of a drought. Between August and September there was only 27 millimetres of rain, compared to the average of 119.
Rock the house
A tornado happens when a warm and cold wind collide and create a spiral of air known as a vortex.
In December 2006, a 20 second tornado caused major damage in North West London. As well as winds of up to 130mph, the tornado brought along heavy rain and lots of sleet.
The wind was so powerful that one house was completely flattened, 150 others had damaged roofs and windows, and trees were blown off their roots.
Cloudy skies
In June 2007, a massive grey cloud loomed over London, bringing with it some very strange weather for that time of year.
Hailstones the size of marbles shot down and settled in Battersea, making the area look like it had just been snowed on, while most of Clapham was flooded.
According to records, that month was the third wettest June ever, producing 41 inches of rain. That’s almost enough to fill a shallow swimming pool!
Stormy scene
In March 2008, a strong storm hit the south of England. It was so strong that it was compared to the Great Storm of 1987.
High spring tides, heavy rain and winds that reached 80mph all contributed to the floods that occurred in Devon, Cornwall and other areas of the south.
April snow
Last year (again!), the UK saw its first April snowfall for nearly 20 years. Up to eight inches of snow fell in parts of southern England, and temperatures even dropped to minus five in some areas.
The freak cold weather was due to Arctic winds blowing towards the UK, causing wintry temperatures instead of a normal spring environment.
Strangely, the hottest temperature recorded for that year until then occured just the week before at 18.9 degrees.
Is global warming to blame?
Global warming refers to the increased temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere. This is caused by using too much electricity and driving cars, both of which increase pollution and the levels of carbon emissions in the air.
Natural greenhouse gases keep the Earth at the right temperature, but the more pollution that is created, the thicker the gases get. This means that warm air can't escape our atmosphere.
The weather
Even though you might be enjoying the hot temperatures we’ve had recently, warmer weather makes lakes and rivers evaporate faster. This means that more droughts are likely.
Warmer temperatures also mean that heavy rain will soon follow even during wintry months when it’s supposed to snow. Increased rainfall will then make flash floods more likely.
Meanwhile, oceans and seas are getting warmer too, which can have a great influence on the strength and likelihood of hurricanes.
There are things you can do to slow down global warming. Try walking or cycling instead of using cars or buses, and switch off all electrical appliances when you’re not using them. Get more tips here.
