The UK’s weather is getting wilder. This year we’ve been soaked with record-breaking rainfall and have sweltered in soaring temperatures. We’ve endured the pandemic but we’ve also seen some of our most extraordinary destructive weather yet. We’ll take you to the eye of the storm, and into the heat of this year’s exceptional weather. We’ll be asking what today’s wild weather tells us about the UK’s future climate. Because climate change is going to affect all our lives. Panorama: Britain’s Wild Weather, Justin Rowlatt reporting, BBC 2020
Our winters have got 12% wetter on average over the last 60 years. ibid.
Across the UK there are 1.8 million people whose homes are at risk of sea or river flooding. Many are in areas of low-lying ground. But despite the risks, we are still building homes in flood-hit areas. ibid.
Vulnerable places along the east Anglian coast have seen the same: sea-level rises and storms eating away at land and homes. ibid.
These are some of the floods of 2021. The extreme weather across the globe this summer is unprecedented. Increasing air temperatures means more volatility in global weather patterns. The UK is particularly vulnerable to climate change. One in six homes in the UK are now at risk from flooding. What was once an exceptional event will now be a regular feature in our lives. It Takes a Flood, captions, ITV 2021
It’s the last night of 1953; Britain is under attack. From the Shetlands to the Thames Estuary few are spared the impact of an enormous storm bearing down on Britain. This vast storm is the engine behind a national disaster. The Great Flood of ’53, Channel 5 2023
Off the north coast of Scotland a powerful storm pushes south. ibid.
Princess Victoria ferry: Lifeboats and survivors float in the sea for hours … The greatest loss of life in British waters since World War II. ibid.
A new and dangerous phenomenon develops: tidal surge … The surge arrives in Norfolk … A national disaster. ibid.
In May to July 2007 Great Britain was pounded by more rain that any other summer on record. Entire counties were deluged with a month’s rainfall in just a few hours creating catastrophic floods. Rising floodwaters saw 20,000 families forced to flee their homes. The Great Flood of ’07, Channel 5 2023