You’re probably wondering what did the heatwave and 2018 winter do to the world this year? From watching the news it indicated that this must be one of the most intense heatwaves and winter since decades ago. It had affected not just Europe but possibly all over the world. If you’ve seen on the news before then I will remind you!
English winter
Usually England is mostly rainy it barely snows. Also if you’re living in a town or city by the sea then there is little to no chance of snow… however 2018 was different. Because for the first time England has snowed like there is no tomorrow but for such a short period of time.
London has actually snowed as the temperature dropped down below freezing. An incident like this happened last in 2010. On the other side of the country, a county called Cornwall consisted of famous attractions for the summer season had an unusual scene. If you walk to the beach you would actually get to see snow on the sandy beach!
Besides stunning views that snow brought, there was also something else that came along with it… an inconvenience! In Cornwall all types of public transports were stopped and all schools and universities were shut promptly after a day or two of snow. The reason for doing this was because they haven’t experienced snow like this probably since 2003. Buses and trains didn’t how to deal with the situation therefore there was no way anyone could go anywhere. Also supermarkets couldn’t get deliveries due to how distant the county is and icy roads.
European summer
You think Asia, South America and Africa are hot, I think this time Europe actually could beat the rest of the world for once. The heatwave that stroke lasted for so long it was unbearable. Unfortunately because of its suddenness it was difficult for people to prepare their homes for this excruciatingly hot weather.
London was reported to reach an average of 30 C or more throughout mid May to mid August, and hit the highest in all the records! When we were in Oxford, the locals said the weather was last hot like this since 1970’s… this is shocking!
The rest of Europe also didn’t back down as Spain hit 42 C around July or early August. Also in Italy the temperature hit 33 C but felt like 38 C due to a high level of humidity. This really made me feel bad for anyone who got an accommodation in Europe that didn’t an AC. I mean can you imagine being in a 30+ C with nothing to cool you off except for fans, in which not all households or accommodations have.
The temperature was really hard to bear that when we went to Italy we only saw tourists during the day and lots of locals in the evening. This year people followed the siesta more than other years and we really don’t blame them!
Besides tourism, the heatwave has a great effect on agricultures in Europe especially the UK. Apparently the BBC news said because of how difficult it was to grow things you can find in supermarkets, there will be an increase on prices of goods you buy from your grocery list. This will be frustrating for anyone living in the UK but it is very understandable since the extreme weathers didn’t allow crops to grow enough for farmers to collect and sell as well as feeding their livestock.
Let’s hope weather conditions like these won’t happen again this coming year but if they will then hopefully the world (especially Europe) would be prepared for it!
Travel. Live. Eat. 