Dull and mild February brings wet winter to a close

2 Mar 2026 02:53 PM

The Met Office has released its provisional statistics for Winter 2025/26 and February 2026, revealing a season characterised by persistent wet weather and stark regional rainfall contrasts.

February then brought some of the lowest sunshine totals on record for all four UK nations, alongside some exceptionally mild conditions.

Winter rainfall among the wettest on record 

This winter ranks among the wettest on record (since the series began in 1836) for some parts of the UK:

• England experienced its eighth wettest winter.
• Northern Ireland recorded its ninth wettest, and its wettest for ten years.
• Southern England saw its fourth wettest winter – its wettest in over a decade.
• The West Midlands, Cornwall and Leicestershire all experienced their wettest winter on record.

Several other counties – including Dorset and Warwickshire, which recorded their second wettest winter – fell within their top ten wettest winters since 1836, highlighting the widespread nature of the persistent rainfall.

This map shows how Winter 25/26 ranks for rainfall from 1837-2026 by county.

Click here for the full press release