Why do they call it a pea souper?

On several occasions, people fell in the Thames and drowned because they could not see the river right in front of them. And so, for obvious reasons, the thick London smog became known as a ‘pea souper’.

When was the last pea souper in London?

It became known as the “Great Killer Fog” and may have caused as many as 12,000 deaths. Corton’s wonderfully detailed and original exploration of foggy London ranges from the earliest mists to the last great pea-souper of 1962.

Why is London smog called London fog?

But polluted fog was an issue in London as early as the 13th century, due to the burning of coal, and the situation only worsened as the city continued to expand. This variety of fog later came to be known as smog (a merging of the words smoke and fog), a term invented by a Londoner in the early 20th century.

Why is London so foggy?

The reason for the increase in the number of foggy days in London town was not some change in the climate but a rapid increase in the quantity of pollutants, above all from coal fires, that mixed with naturally occurring water vapour at times of temperature inversion to create a London fog, coloured yellow from the …

Why is fog compared to pea soup?

Pea soup, or a pea souper, also called the black fog, killer fog or smog is a very thick and often yellowish, greenish or blackish fog caused by air pollution that contains soot particulates and the poisonous gas sulphur dioxide. This fog is named after the ‘Pea-Soup’ due its thickness and yellowishness.

What is killer fog?

The event in question is the “killer fog” that hit London for several days in 1952. Natural fog contained larger particles of several tens of micrometres in size, and the acid formed was sufficiently diluted. Evaporation of those fog particles then left smaller acidic haze particles that covered the city.”

Why is England so Rainy?

Why do some places get more rain than others? The map above shows a clear divide between the northwest and southeast of the UK. The prevailing warm moist westerly winds mean that the west of the UK is more likely to receive rainfall from Atlantic weather systems, in the form of frontal rainfall.

Which disaster is related to smog?

Great Smog of London, lethal smog that covered the city of London for five days (December 5–9) in 1952, caused by a combination of industrial pollution and high-pressure weather conditions. This combination of smoke and fog brought the city to a near standstill and resulted in thousands of deaths.

When was the last big smog in London?

For five days in December 1952, the Great Smog of London smothered the city, wreaking havoc and killing thousands.

What does AQI stand for?

Air Quality Index
Air Quality Index (AQI) AQI Basics Ozone Using the Air Quality Index Particle Pollution AQI Calculators Action Days Air Quality and Health Activity Guides Your Health Asthma and Heart Disease Health Professionals Air Quality Awareness Week.