Recap – Beast from the East

Across
4. A large mass of cold air – in the upper
atmosphere (stratosphere) that usually causes
air to move from west to east over the UK.
5. The meteorological event that disturbed the
jet stream, allowing cold winds from Russia to
travel as far as the UK.
6. The name of the organisation that issued a
series of red weather warnings for southern
England.
Down
1. The air mass that brought cold conditions to
the UK.
2. The weather system that originated from the
Azores and travelled north to the UK.
3. The month when Storm Emma and The Beast from the East met, bringing
blizzards, gales and sleet.
Impacts Soc Eco
What was the Beast from the East? – Identify the correct words
The Beast from the East was a high/low pressure, extreme weather/climate event that
hit the UK in February 2018/2019. The system brought wide-spread cold/warm
temperatures and heavy rain/snow fall to large areas of the UK.
What was the Beast from the East? – Number the statements below to explain
the Beast from the East
5 This led to exceptionally heavy snow fall.
3 A polar continental air mass travelled from Russia to the UK, picking up water
over the North Sea.
1 Winters in the UK are typically mild compared to some places on the same
latitude. This is because of the jet stream.
2 A meteorological event called stratospheric warming disturbed the jet stream –
allowing cold winds from Russia to travel as far as the UK.
4 Cold fronts formed when the cold air associated with the Beast from the East
met the warm air from the remnants of Hurricane Ida in the west and the
warm weather system Storm Emma in the south.
Env Management Strategies T F Which type of extreme weather event was the
1 Beast from the East?

Ten people died
Thousands of schools were closed.
Up to 50 cm of snow in parts of the UK damaged crops e.g.
sugar beet.
Hundreds of motorists on the M80 near Glasgow were stuck
for up to 13 hours, with some spending the night in their
cars and others abandoning their vehicles.
Nearly all train operators warned of cancellations and
disruption, and hundreds of flights were cancelled.
Many coastlines were issued with flood warnings.
Use of gas and electricity nearly doubled during the period,
resulting in increased levels of CO2.
The National Grid issued a ‘gas deficit warning’ prompting
fears of a shortage, but households would noy be affected.
Gusts of 60-70 mph in parts of northern England and Wales,
with some properties being damaged.
x The Environment Agency issued coastal
flood warnings for Cornwall.
x 
The Environment Agency issued coastal
x flood warnings for Manchester.
The SAS rescued four farmers trapped on
x x the Yorkshire Moors.
The Royal Air Force was drafted in to help
relief efforts in snow-hit Lincolnshire.
x x
High on the Pennines on the M62, the
military provided support rescuing
x vehicles.
x High on the Pennines on the M62, the AA
provided support rescuing vehicles.
x Soldiers were deployed to help transport
about 200 NHS clinical and support staff
to Edinburgh hospitals.
x x
Income tax was reduced for four months.
x  A Storm Event
 B Flooding
C Drought/heatwave
x  D Extreme cold weather
Which of the following is not a response to the
2 Beast from the East?
x
Flood warnings were issued by the
 A Environment Agency for parts of Cornwall’s
x south coast.
The Royal Air Force was drafted in to help
 B relief efforts in snow-hit Lincolnshire.
x High on the Pennines on the M62, the
 C military was called in to help rescue vehicles.
Drifting snow led to the isolation of a
 D number of villages
x
Which of the following is not an example of a
3 social impact of the Beast from the East?
x  A 10 people died
 B Hundreds of schools were forced to close
CO2 emissions increased due to the increase
 C in demand for energy.
x There was a shortage of food in some
 D supermarkets