Weather and Climate Weather is becoming more extreme

Weather and Climate Weather is becoming more extreme n. Evidence n. Events e. g. Boscastle 2004 and summer 2003 heatwave n. Impacts

What is extreme weather? Boscastle floods in August 2004 when 200 mm of rain fell in 24 hours. The average for the whole August is 75 mm.

The Boscastle flood, 16 th August 2004 Boscastle is situated on the North Cornwall coast. For a hundred years the village was a thriving port but the coming of the railways soon saw its decline as a trading port. About 90% of Boscastle’s economy is now reliant on tourism. On Monday 16 th August 2004 major flooding occurred in North Cornwall. The small village of Boscastle was devastated.

What were the causes of the Boscastle Flood? Climatic conditions were the main reason for the floods in Boscastle. 200 mm fell over Ottersham Moor, to the east of Boscastle, within a 4 hour period. This was combined with coastal winds and a rising tide. The ground was also already saturated from previous rainfall events.

Effects of the Boscastle flood

European Heatwave 2003 A blanket of deep red across southern and eastern France shows where temperatures were 10 degrees Celsius hotter in summer 2003 than in the other years. White areas show where temperatures were similar, and blue shows where temperatures were cooler in 2003 than in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2004.

Morpeth Summer floods 2008 Summer 2008 was very wet summer causing flooding events in Somerset, Worcestershire, Morpeth and Northumberland. Q 1. Write a definition of extreme weather using page 62 Q 2. Make a bullet point list of the extreme events over the last ten years

What is the impact of extreme weather? People and their lives n Homes n Businesses n Transport n Q 3. Create a mind map or bullet point list under each heading to explain the multiplier effects of extreme weather events such as the Boscastle flood. Q 4. What can be done to plan and prepare for extreme events like Boscastle?