Bedford School Homepage Our Latest Field Trip Blogs Follow Us On Twitter Read The Bedford Geographical Newspaper Follow The Global Issues Blog by our A2 Students

Thursday 18 July 2013

UK Heatwave - Causes, Effects and Responses

We are in the midst of a heatwave and though its the school holidays, it makes for a great case study for A2...

You can see a Q and A transcript from the BBC weather team here.

Try the BBC Heatwave Quiz here. (Can you beat Mr Gracie who got 5/7?)



Wednesday 17th saw temperatures rise up to 32.2 degrees in places which moved the UK up to a level 3 warning. Ths video gives an overview of this weather.



What are the Causes of it?

The Causes and why warnings are issued are explained HERE. It is a result of a blocking anticyclone

This video explains how long it may last and why

What makes a heatwave?

What are the effects of it?

Numbers of grass fires have increased - The London fire brigade have been tackling 21 grass fires a day compared to 5 a day last year.

Ambulance Callouts are up too

Its predicted to have claimed up to 760 lives

Negative effects may be enhanced by us being ill prepared as explained here.

Positively - the hot weather increases natural sugar levels in grapes improving the 2013 UK wine vintage

Some holiday parks have reported bookings have much improved - so the UK tourist industry has received a boost.

This outdoor pool in Leicestershire for example has seen numbers swell.

How have we responded?

There are national warnings as mentioned above, mostly given by the Met Office. An example of the NHS health warnings

There are lots of public health warnings going out to givwe advice on how to respond
This video explains who is most at risk and how to respond

Various media outlets have also given their own advice such as this BBC one.

No comments:

Post a Comment