Extreme weather always seemed to be something that happened in far flung exotic places. Places with balmy climates or extreme temperatures. Britain it seems is just drizzly, mild, and dull. But there has been some scary weather in the British Isles and some experts are predicting it can only get worse as global warming and climate change take hold.



Boscastle

The flash floods in the Cornish town of Boscastle were one of the most extreme to be recorded in Britain, according to the Environment Agency.

Homes damaged

The damage caused by the flood was estimated at millions of pounds. The flood was caused by two rivers bursting their banks – a torrent of water swept through the main street. As well as homes and shops being destroyed, over 50 cars were written off.

Increased threat

Flooding is a regular problem in the UK in recent years and some are blaming the increase on global warming.

Flash floods

• Flash floods are increasingly seen in urban areas where surfaces are unable to absorb large amounts of water.

• The velocity of the water is often more damaging than the water levels.

It was over 50 years ago that one of the worst floods happened in the UK, in the fishing village of Lynmouth, Devon. In 1952, 35 people died and hundreds lost their homes to the flood after heavy rain led to a 12 foot wave surging through the village after the banks of the Lyn River broke.

It's often assumed that Britain escapes the more violent weather phenomena like tornadoes and hurricanes. But in fact, there is a long history of scary weather in the UK. In 1703, Britain's worst ever storm, known as the Great Storm, destroyed many towns. Robinson Crusoe author, Daniel Defoe, counted 17,000 trees down in Kent alone. The wind was 73mph - hurricane force. On land, 123 people died but it was thought some 8,000 were killed at sea.

Forward-wind to the future, in 1990 the Burns Day Storm left 47 people dead, between 3 and 5 million trees were thought to have been destroyed. Also in that year, hundreds of people lost their homes to floodwaters as high tides breached the sea wall at Towyn, North Wales.

In 2000, storms lashed southern Britain leaving carnage and chaos as they flooded homes, towns and roads. Gusts approached 100mph and tens of thousands of homes were left without power.

The Environment Agency advised householders had to take more responsibility as climate change threatened to make such storms more likely.