1.1.9 Extreme Weather Events in the UK

In this lesson, we will explore an example of a recent extreme weather event in the UK to illustrate its causes, social, economic, and environmental impacts, as well as how management strategies can help reduce the associated risks. Additionally, we will discuss the evidence indicating that weather is becoming more extreme in the UK.

Extreme Weather Event in the UK: Storm Desmond, 2015

Storm Desmond was a result of a low-pressure system that brought intense rainfall to the UK in December 2015, particularly affecting areas in northern England and Scotland. The storm was fueled by a combination of atmospheric conditions, including warm moist air from the Atlantic, atmospheric instability, and the orographic effect. It killed two people and caused over £500 million of damage.

Social Impacts

Flooding events can have psychological and emotional impacts on affected individuals, communities and emergency responders. This was evident from the displacementThe forced removal of people from their land. from 5,200 homes experiencing flooding, closures of schools, hospitals, shops, power facilities (over 43,000 homes in Cumbria and Lancashire experienced power cuts due to flooding).

Economic Impacts

Around £400-500 million in economic damages in Cumbria alone. Some of this was from businesses and homes that suffered flooding damages, other areas were from rail and road services, which also affected travel and supply chains. From a business perspective, productivity was lost due to flooding, power outages, and restricted access. Local authorities were exposed to emergency response, flood defense repairs, and long-term recovery efforts expenses.

Environmental Impacts

The storm surge caused extensive flooding, depositing large amounts of sediment in rivers, floodplains, and settlements, this can disrupt aquatic ecosystems and alter natural landscapes. Heavy rainfall and flooding leads to significant soil erosion, causing habitat loss and impacting water quality, this was seen in flood water contaminating water sources from taking in sewage. When water saturated ground conditions, this triggers landslides which can cause further damage to habitats and also cause debris into watercourses. Finally, vegetation and animals were flooded, causing loss of life and drowned plants.

Management Strategies to Reduce Risk

Flood defences, such as flood barriers, flood walls, and riverbank reinforcements, can reduce the risk of flooding and protect vulnerable areas. Early warning systems, such as advanced monitoring and forecasting systems allow for early warnings of extreme weather events, enabling timely evacuation and preparedness efforts. Effective land-use planning can discourage development in flood-prone areas and ensure infrastructure is built in a manner that minimises vulnerability to extreme weather events. Raising public awareness about extreme weather risks, emergency procedures, and preparedness measures helps communities respond effectively during such events.

Evidence of Increasingly Extreme Weather in the UK

The UK has witnessed evidence of more frequent and intense extreme weather events, indicating a changing climate:

• Over the past few decades, the UK has experienced more frequent and intense heat waves, the ten hottest years on record in the UK have all occurred in the last 20 years. 
• Rainfall events are becoming more intense, particularly in winter, with a higher percentage of precipitation coming from intense single-day events. This was made evident from the winter floods of 2013/14, 2015/16, 2019/20.
• The UK still experiences cold snaps, however the number of days with air and ground frost has decreased, subsequently the frequency of snow events is projected to decrease.
• A BBC study found that storms today are roughly 20% more intense than they would have been without human-induced climate change. This is supported by The Met Office’s climate models projections of more frequent storm activity. 

These trends have been attributed towards human-induced climate change.