Fire & Ice: The UK's Most Extreme Weather Events

FIREČTICE The UK's Most Extreme Weather Events RECORD-BRHAKING WEA THER The Met Office records some of the UK's most extreme weather patterns. Here are a fewI that hold the current wI eather records. HIGHEST TEMP ERAT URE LOWE ST TEMP ERAT URE 38.5°C Faversham (Kent), England 10 August 2003 -27.2°C Altnaharra (Highland), Scotland 30 Decemher 1995 BIGGE ST WIND GUST 142 mph Fraserburgh (Aberdeenshire), Scotland 13 February 1989 MOST RAINF ALL IN A SINGLE DAY 314 mm Seathwaite (Cumbria), England 20 November 2009 10 EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS OF THE LAST 10 YEARS Floods, hurricane-force winds, and tornadoes have struck the UK in the last 10 years. In all, the following 10 weather events have affected hundreds of thousands of residents; and cost the country billions of pounds in damage and insurance. SUMMER 2002 GLASGOW FLOODS FORECAST: Torrential rains that pounded Glasgow caused massive flooding throughout the area, particularly in the city's east end. AFTERMATH: At its height, 1,500 residents and 500 homes were affected by the floods, and damage was estimated to be in the millions of pounds. SUMMER 2003 EUROPEAN HEAT WAVE FORECAST: Above-average summer temperatures peaked with the UK's highest temperature ever in Kent. Scotland recorded its highest temperature ever. AFTERMATH: According to the Health Protection Agency, 2,000 to 3,000 deaths in the UK were caused by the extreme heat. Throughout Europe, the heat wave caused roughly 40,000 fatalities. AUGUST 2004 BOSCASTLE FLOODING FORECAST: Abrupt, heavy rain-more than six çentimetres in two hours-caused flash floods that wreaked havoc on residents in the Cornwall village of Boscastle. AFTERMATH: Roughly 100 homes and businesses, 75 cars, five caravanş, six buildings, and several boats were either swept out to sea or destroyed during the floods. JULY 2005 BIRMINGHAM TORNADO FORECAST: A severe tornado whipped through Birmingham on a July afternoon and reached wind speeds between 115 and 136 miles per hour. AFTERMATH: Though it lasted for just four minutes, the tornado injured 19 people, three of them seriously, and damaged hundreds of homes. JANUARY 2007 STORM KYRILL FORECAST: A two-day storm brought severe winds that were the strongeşt to hit Britain since 1990. The storm continued through Europe, causing power disruptions as far away as Ukraine. AFTERMATH: Hurricane-force winds contributed to 13 deaths in the UK and 47 across Europe. Estimates of total insurance costs were as high as £2.3 billion. JUNE/JULY 2007 SUMMER FLOODING FORECAST: Torrential rain provided one of the wettest şummers on record in the UK. A total of 358.5 millimetres of rain fell during the summer months causing severe flooding. AFTERMATH: In all, 11 people were killed throughout UK due to flooding, and thousands of homes were affected-including 7,000 in Hull alone. The cost of the flooding was estimated as high as £3 billion. DECEMBER 2006 NORTHWEST LONDON TORNADO FORECAST: An estimated 50 tornadoes touch down in the UK each year. In 2006, one pounded the Kensal Rise area of London over the course of a minute. AFTERMATH: The tornado injured six people, damaged 150 properties, left 29 homes unfit for habitation, and caused damáge in the millions of pounds. NOVEMBER 2009 CUMBRIA FLOODS FORECAST: Heavy rainfall destroyed flood defences and created severe flooding throughout Cumbria. The rain broke the record for most rainfall in a single day, which had stood for more than 50 years. AFTERMATH: The storms damaged or destroyed 20 roads across Cumbria, left 2,500 tonnes of gravel and debris across the region, and resulted in a £276 million bill. WINTER 2009/2010 BIG FREEZE FORECAST: The winter spanning 2009 and early 2010 was one of the most severe in the UK in over 30 years. Mean temperature for the season was 1.2°C-the lowest it's reached since 1978-1979. AFTERMATH: Heavy snow fell across the UK, with reports of 30 to 40 centimetres of level snow from Berkshire and Hampshire. APRIL 2010 ASH CLOUD COVER FOREÇAST; An enormous cloud of ash spread across the UK and other European countries, caused by the eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano. AFTERMATH: Air travel throughout much of Europe came to a halt as airports grounded flights on fears of ash affecting jet engines. SOURCES: MET OFFICE | VIRGIN MEDIA | THE GUARDIAN | BBC | THE TELEGRAPH Confused.com