For further consideration
Extreme weather
According to the fourth main report of UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the effects of extreme weather conditions are very likely to increase as a result of more frequent and more intense occurrences of extreme weather. Rising temperatures are assumed to drive the climate system into a more unstable condition. This may cause more extreme weather situations such as intense precipitation or drought. Climate change will increase the risk of incidents such as floods, landslides and heavy wind.
On the pages of the website of the UK Met Office there is a list of severe weather incidents in UK from 1990 until today. The reason why there is not a complete historical record of extreme weather incidents is that only in recent years has the spotlight been turned on a possible connection between climate change and extreme weather incidents. If you choose to register a weather incident that has not been registered in the list of extreme weather incidents, you will therefore contribute new and important information.
Preparedness and response
Topical questions for further consideration:
How efficient were any measures that were taken?
Was the preparedness improved and if yes, how?
Which unit coordinated the response/handling?
How good was the preparedness for handling this incident?
Did the incident lead to improved preparedness?
Does the local authority have a crisis management plan for this type of incident?
If you want to look further into the preparedness and the response to the crisis, you may for instance contact the local authority or municipal office. At the web pages of UK resilience, you can read more about preparedness. The municipal offices are responsible for local preparedness, and they will be able to tell you who is in charge of handling this type of incidents. Civil Defence, the fire brigade and the coast guard are examples of such units. Other agencies and authorities may also be involved, depending on the extent and type of the incident. You can also get information about responsibility for the emergency and response from media reports about the incident.
You can also look into the weather forecast (the force of the wind, precipitation and possible water level) prior to the extreme weather incident. Was there appropriate weather warnings prior to the inciden or did the bad weather come as a surprise? The best sources for finding weather forecasts back in time may be newspapers or newspaper archives.
Frequency and intensity in a historical perspective
With an increase in temperature, the frequency of extreme weather episodes is expected to rise. Has this type of weather incident happened before in the local area? If yes, how long time ago? Does this type of extreme weather incident occur more often now than before? An indicator for the strength/intensity of the weather incident is to compare the extent of the incident with earlier weather incidents of the same sort. For instance, was the water level higher this time, was the wind heavier or was a larger area flooded than earlier?
By using sources such as weather statistics you can find weather related information (for example about temperature, water level, rain or snow fall, wind force and the like) which may tell you if similar weather conditions has been common earlier or if these are incidents that have grown worse in recent years. At the web pages of the Met Office (UK) you can find this type of information including past weather events and historic station data. Has the average temperature for your region changed noticeably over the last decades? If so, do you think that this is due to man-induced climate change or may it be caused by natural fluctuations in the climate?
Maps of flood zones can be found at the web pages to the Environment agency (England and Wales) and SEPA (Scotland).
Institutions that have relevant background material:
Met office (UK): Weather extremes, severe weather impact links, past weather events
Environment Agency (England): Floodwarnings, maps of flood zones
SEPA (Scotland): Floodwarnings, maps of flood zones
UK Resilience: Links to local resilience forums (UK)
UKCIP provides information about climate change adaptation (UK source).
Educational material:
Educational material about extreme weather at Met Office (UK)
Severe weather cases at Met Office (UK)
MetLink: Resources for teaching weather and climate in schools
