February 2014 Summary

In Brief:
Following on from January, mild, very wet and windy for the first half of the month.  Still mild and wet during the second half, but less windy.  No prolonged spells of dry weather. No frosts.

Temperature: [Minimum]:
Please refer to the section 'Minimum Temperature' in the post 'A Few Changes' dated March 9th.
Night-time temperatures for February 2014 ranged from 5.1 degs C sometime between the 9th and the 11th, and 13.4 degs C on the night ending the 23rd.  This gave an average of 8.64 degs C.
As with the two preceding months, all these figures were the highest ever for February at this location, since at least 2003.
Previous highest records for February nights were: Minimum: 3.1 [2011]; Maximum: 12.5 [2004]; and Average: 7.49 [2007].
Also as in the two preceding months, and for the first time since at least February 2003, there were no night-time minima below 5 degs C.

Temperature: [Maximum]:
Daytime temperatures for February 2014 ranged from 9.9 degs C on the 13th, to 16.9 degs C on the 18th, giving an average of 13.65 degs C.  The maximum of 16.9, and the average, were the highest ever for February at this location, since at least 2003.  Previously the warmest day was 15.8 [2004], and the highest average 12.86 [2008].   The coolest day at 9.9, however, was slightly below the 10.1 recorded as the coolest day of February 2008. 

Rainfall:
202.4 mm of rain fell during the month, making it the wettest February at this location, since at least 2008.  The next wettest February to this had just about half the amount of rain, 101.3 mm, in 2011.
February 2013 saw just 72 mm of rain, although this February was drier than the month it followed, January 2014, which saw 254.6 mm.
This means a cumulative total of 457 mm of rain has fallen in 2014 up to the end of February. This compares to 202.9 mm in 2013, an increase of 125.2%.    In 2012 it took until June 21st for the same amount of rain to fall!

The wettest day [2200-2200] itself was the 14th with 29.6 mm.  This was only the second wettest February day of the last 6 years, as 40.3 mm of rain fell on the 9th in 2009.  That amount, however, was about half that month's total rainfall of 80.8 mm.
This month the only other day with more than 20mm of rain was the 3rd, with 20.8mm, illustrating the frequency of moderately wet days during the month.
Indeed there was just the one completely dry day [2200-2200], which was the 23rd.  As there were two such days in January, this was the fewest of any month since rain records began here in April 2008.
The driest period of the month was the 18th to 23rd, with 14 mm.

Thunder:
Thunder was heard on the 4th and 11th.

Wind & Pressure:
It was very windy on the 4th, 8th, 11th, 12th, and 14th. 
Pressure was below 980 mbs [at 2200] on the 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 14th, the lowest of which was 971 mb on the 14th.  The highest pressure of the month was 1007.5 mbs, on the 18th.