February 2011 Summary

February 2011 can best be summed up as mild with not a lot of rain, but with no lengthy dry spells either.

Temperature [Minimum]:
The lowest night-time temperature was 3.1 degs C recorded on the night of the 13th and 14th. This is the first February that the temperature has not fallen below 3 degs C at this location* - Previously 2.6 was the highest February minimum in 2007.
The highest night-time temperature was 10.8 degs C recorded twice - on the nights of the 4th/5th and 9th/10th. This was the highest February minimum since 2008.
The average minimum temperature for the month was 7.45 degs C, narrowly beaten into second place by 2007 with 7.49 degs C.
The minimum temperature fell below 5 degs C on 7 nights this February, the fewest since October 2010 and compared with 17 in January and 21 in December.
This is also the 3rd fewest figure for February*, only 2007 and 2008 had less.
The absence of an air frost in February has now occurred 4 times in the last 8 years.

Temperature [Maximum]:
The coldest day of February 2011 was the 14th when the maximum was 9.7 degs C. This was the only day of the month that the temperature did not reach 10 degs C, and is the second highest February lowest maximum recorded here* - in 2008 the lowest recorded was 10.1 degs C.
The highest February maximum this month was 15 degs C recorded on the 24th, which was the warmest day since November 11th 2010, and the warmest February day since 2007.
The average maximum temperature for February 2011 was 12.62 degs C, the second highest at this location* and only beaten by 2008.

Rainfall:
A total of 101.3 mm of rain fell during the month, much less than the 180.2 mm in January 2011, but it was still the wettest February of the last three.
There were only 6 completely dry days^, mostly at the beginning of the month, which is the fewest since November 2010 and the lowest of the last three Februaries.
Although the total amount of rain in February was on the low side, there were no long periods of dry weather or periods with no measurable rain, although the mainly dry spell that began during the second half of January continued with only 8.6 mm of rain falling before the 10th February, this mostly on the 2nd.
The wettest day itself was the 13th with 16.7 mm. There were another five days on which more than 10 mm of rain fell, but these were well scattered throughout the last three weeks of the month [10th, 15th, 18th, 21st and 25th] ensuring the absence of any afore-mentioned lengthy dry spell.
There was at least some rain every day from the 13th to the 27th.

* = Since at least 2003.
^ = 'Day' implies 2200 to 2200.