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Winter and February climate statistics

The winter of 2020/21 overall has been wet and dull with near average temperature.

Interestingly we have seen the highest and lowest temperatures of the winter season in February. Cold conditions from the east brought low temperatures down to the lowest of -23.0°C at Braemar (Aberdeenshire) on 11 February followed by a southerly flow bringing warm weather from the Canaries and Africa leading to the season’s highest temperature of 18.4 °C at Santon Downham (Suffolk) on 24 February.

Dr Mark McCarthy is the head of the Met Office National Climate Information Centre. He yesterday said:

“February 2021 has seen a wide temperature range resulting from the two predominant weather patterns we’ve seen this month, with the first half of February experiencing some bitterly cold easterlies originating from Russia, and recent days seeing the influence of air coming from the Canary Islands.

“Minimum temperatures of below -20 were more frequent historically, but have become scarcer, while winter temperatures above 18.0 C have become a little more regular, with four of the last five winters recording such events. Historically they were extremely infrequent events.

“Our winters are changing and as we have seen we can still receive cold snaps; it’s just that those extremes won’t be quite as cold or as frequent as they once would have been.”

An event known as a Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) occured in January and this played a significant role in influencing our weather through late winter. You can find out more about a sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) from our blog which explains the weather patterns behind the cold easterlies.

Click here for the full press release

 

Channel website: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk

Original article link: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/press-office/news/weather-and-climate/2021/2021-winter-february-stats

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