-When: 25 November to 26 December 2010. -What: A long period of heavy snow and very cold weather across the UK. -Why: Cold air from northern Europe and Siberia caused two long periods of very cold weather with a brief thaw in between.
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UK weather - Social Impacts (1)
-Several people died from hypothermia or accidents due to losing control on icy roads. -Lots of water pipes froze in the cold weather and burst. When they thawed, the pipes started to leak.
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UK weather - Social Impacts (2)
-40000 homes and businesses across Northern Ireland were left without water, in some cases for over a week. -Schools closed on several occasions, including 7000 schools on 2 December; many parents had to take time off work to look after their kids.
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UK weather - Environmental Impacts
-Snow covered almost all of the UK on several occasions - to a depth of over 50cm in some hilly locations. -The frost damaged crops, especially sugar beet. -Use of gas and electricity was more than double a normal December, increasing CO2 emissions.
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UK weather - Economic Impacts (1)
-Transport networks were severely disrupted. Some motorways were shut (e.g parts of M8 - closed for 2 days). Some drivers were trapped in their cars for over 15 hours. Trains and flights were also cancelled.
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UK weather - Economic Impacts (2)
-As a result some people were unable to get work, affecting the UK's economy. -The run up to Christmas is a busy time for shops; in 2010 their sales were down as shoppers were put off by the weather.
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UK weather - Economic Impacts (3)
-The overall economic impact of the cold period was around £1.6 billion - enough to reduce the UK's GDP by about 0.5%.
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Other cards in this set
Card 2
Front
UK weather - Social Impacts (1)
Back
-Several people died from hypothermia or accidents due to losing control on icy roads. -Lots of water pipes froze in the cold weather and burst. When they thawed, the pipes started to leak.
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