Hot weather can be great. All of a sudden everyone is outside, daytime drinking is socially acceptable and serotonin levels are at an all-time high. But as global warming continues and temperatures increase year on year, you can’t help but feel slightly shit about the whole thing.
Extreme heat is bad for both our health and the UK’s ecosystems. In 2019, more than 28,000 hectares of land was burned by wildfires, making it the worst year on record for wildfire destruction. Last year was the second worst, with more than 20,000 hectares burned.
Using data from the Met Office and Statista, price comparison service Utility Bidder has calculated the national parks in England and Wales with the highest fire severity risk. Each area was given a score out of five – five being ‘exceptional fire severity’ and one being ‘low fire severity’.
At the top of the list is South Downs National Park in the south of England, with an average fire risk rating of 4.5 out of five, meaning ‘very high to exceptional’. Its famous grasslands and low winds and rainfall during the summer make it particularly vulnerable.
Six parks share second place, all with a risk rating of four out of five. These are Northumberland, North York Moors, Peak District, The Broads, Yorkshire Dales and New Forest. At the very bottom of the list was the Pembrokeshire Coast with a score of two and a fire-risk rating of ‘low to high’.
Here’s the full list of national parks most vulnerable to wildfires in the UK, with their risk rating:
- South Downs – 4.5/5
- Northumberland – 4/5
- North York Moors – 4/5
- Peak District – 4/5
- The Broads – 4/5
- Yorkshire Dales – 4/5
- New Forest – 4/5
- Exmoor – 3.5/5
- Brecon Beacons – 3.5/5
- Snowdonia – 3.5/5
- Dartmoor – 3/5
- Lake District – 2.5/5
- Pembrokeshire Coast – 2/5