In GCSE Geography students will spend some time learning about the weather. This is one of three quizzes on that topic and it looks specifically at natural weather hazards, such as blizzards or hurricanes.
Weather is a major feature of the natural world. It is the day to day conditions in a particular location. In general we are prepared for what the average day can throw at us. We’re ready for rain in spring, occasional sunshine in summer, snow in the depths of winter - and being the UK we have to be ready for all of the above during any season of the year!
The weather we experience on an average day is what we consider safe, but each year we have some extreme weather events, and there are even once in a hundred year events. These, as the name suggests, occur approximately once a century. This is often long enough for people to forget the previous occurrences and build houses closer to the coast or river, or houses that are not strong enough to withstand extreme wind events.
When we think of natural weather hazards we think, quite rightly, of hurricanes, storms, and tornados, as well as the heavy rain and strong wind associated with them. But other types of extreme weather, such as heat waves and extended cold snaps, can lead to as many fatalities as these shorter term weather hazards. Don’t forget in your longer answers to discuss the long term effects of either short or continuing events. Whilst storms and hurricanes may have immediate effects, such as blowing trees down, there are also some possible long term effects - the rainfall and potential flooding may lead to fresh water supplies being polluted and the wind may damage infrastructure by downing power cables and shutting down junction boxes.