Last month saw record-breaking weather in England and Wales, with February becoming the warmest on record in these regions and the wettest on record in southern England, according to preliminary data from the Met Office.
The UK experienced its second warmest February overall, with an average temperature of 6.3°C, just shy of the 6.8°C record set in 1998. This year joins other recent warm Februarys, including 2023, 2022, and 2019, in the top ten warmest Februarys since records began in 1884.
Southern England faced its wettest February since records began in 1836, with rainfall exceedingly twice the monthly average in many areas.
Met Office senior scientist Mike Kendon noted that, despite a cold spell in the north early in the month, February’s weather was notably mild and wet, especially in the south.
Southern England experienced its wettest February on record, with rainfall exceeding twice the average.This pattern was influenced by persistent Atlantic low-pressure systems bringing a mild, southwesterly flow, a trend also observed throughout the winter season.
Last month’s average rainfall across the UK was 139.8mm, just outside the top ten wettest Februarys. The record for the wettest February is 213.7mm, set in 2020.
Extreme rainfall events are becoming more frequent and intense due to human-induced climate change, which causes warmer air to hold more moisture. This trend, coupled with factors like flood defenses and land use, affects flooding severity.
East Anglia set its own records for warmth and rainfall in February, with 106.4mm of rainfall and an average temperature of 8.2°C, surpassing previous records from 1916 and 1990, respectively.
The UK has also experienced its fifth warmest and eighth wettest winter overall. The mean temperature for December, January, and February was 5.29°C, behind records from 1989, 1998, and others.
Winter rainfall averaged 445.8mm, less than the 540.3mm record set in the winter of 2013-14. Kendon concluded that warmer, wetter winters are becoming a pattern, reflecting the broader impact of a warming atmosphere.