Met Office have tweeted that this February is the wettest on record averaged across the UK. 1990 had 193.4mm, this month up to this morning has 202.1mm.

I hope Kevin can get the official stats as soon as they're out.

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I have mentioned on many occasions just recently on this thread that this month is likely to be officially confirmed as our wettest February on record here in Edinburgh. On that note, I have just discovered this report on the STV News website from 4 days ago which show that this indeed, has already been confirmed. The report focuses on the botanic gardens in Edinburgh which is confirmed as having just come to the end of its wettest February on record (and its raining yet again here, even as I write).

According to that report, those records go all the way over 78 years of data which I've worked out, goes all the way back to 1942 and the middle of World War II. That in turn shows just thoroughly wet and miserable this month has been but as you will have seen from the regular reports which I have posted here throughout this month, the botanic gardens in Edinburgh hasn't even been the wettest location in Edinburgh, or of my three local stations. That accolade goes to Edinburgh Gogarbank which has had more rainfall than the botanic gardens in Edinburgh during this month, with that amounting to more than three times the 1981-2010 February average for that particular station.

Furthermore, the weather station at Edinburgh Gogarbank has only been in its current location since 2005 when it was moved to there from the East Craigs area of Edinburgh, so this month is also certain to the wettest February on record there as well. Another factor to consider here is that it has not even been as wet here as what it has been in various those other parts of the UK where that really bad flooding has occurred and so, there are bound to be quite of lot of local rainfall records which will have broken throughout the UK during this month as a result.

 

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My total for February stands at 152.6mm. An exceptionally wet month. 5 days >10mm, 2>20mm, 1>30mm

Winter rainfall this year

December 120.6mm

January 80.2mm

February 152.6mm

Winter 353.4mm

Although February looks like it could be be the wettest on record in the EWP series, winter as a whole will probably come in just outside the top 10. Currently we are in 13th place. Will probably climb another couple of places to 11th.

Worth noting that 5 of the current top 10 wettest winters have all occurred since 1990.

Wettest winters in the EWP series since 1766

2014  455.5mm
1915  423.0mm
1990  420.9mm
1877  418.3mm
1995  415.6mm
1994  388.3mm
1869  380.6mm
2016  375.4mm
1960  374.3mm
1916  373.5mm
1966  363.0mm
1937  362.0mm
2020  353.3mm (to 27 Feb)

January was relatively dry here with a mere 44.2mm

February has been wetter...this evening we have just edged over 100mm for the month...100.2mm to be precise.

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Both December and January were dry here. It’s only February that’s been wet.

Honestly until early February this winter was rather pleasant with not much rain and above average sunshine. I’d take that every year.

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Wettest Februaries on record for England and Wales (mm)

~166 2020 (up to 28th)

158.6 1833
152.7 1923
143.6 1950
143.2 1990
143.2 1977
142.1 1937

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The record going is in part to the unbelievable totals for NW England and north Wales

For NW England and north Wales (mm)

~212  2020 (up to 28h Feb)

158.7 1990

155.4 2002

150.6 1937

150.3 1894

325% of the average!  The old  February record was only about 88th of all time wettest months on record. Its now at the moment the 9th wettest.

 

Northern Ireland's February record has gone

~182   2020 (up to 28th)

167.2  1990

North East England record has gone

~130 (up to 28th)

125.0  1941 

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Final total for Feb is 140mm

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Wettest Februaries on record for England and Wales (mm)

~166 2020 (up to 28th)

158.6 1833
152.7 1923
143.6 1950
143.2 1990
143.2 1977
142.1 1937

Phew impressive. We just need including 29th to see the final total. But looks amazing.

 

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Total for February 253.0mm. Feb lady year was only 69.8mm. Bit of a difference 

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112mm here, just short of double normal. (108mm without the 29th!)
Only need go back to 2014 for a wetter Feb 129.2mm

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Before I go any further, I can confirm that a total of 17.4 mm of precipitation fell at Edinburgh Gogarbank during the 24 hour period which ended at 9am this morning, along with 11.2 mm at the botanic gardens in Edinburgh with some of that falling as sleet and wet snow.

Now that we have just entered another new month, I can now confirm that the final total for February comes out as 180.4 mm at Edinburgh Gogarbank and 147.4 mm at the botanic gardens in Edinburgh.

For Edinburgh Gogarbank, this is 335.3% of the 1981-2010 February average for that station whilst the botanic gardens in Edinburgh had 313.6% of its 1981-2010 average rainfall during February.

Overall, this shows that February was a substantially wetter than average month at both of those stations in terms of the actual rainfall amounts, and this has actually been the case to such an extent that it has now officially been confirmed as the wettest February on record at both of those stations.

In addition to that, Edinburgh Gogarbank had 22 official rain days during February and this shows that it was also a substantially wetter than average month there in terms of the number of official rain days since that amounts to 224.5% of the 1981-2010 average. It is also a similar story at the botanic gardens in Edinburgh which had 20 official rain days with that amounting to 212.8% of the 1981-2010 average.

As we have also just entered a new season, I can also confirm that the total for the winter was 325.6 mm at Edinburgh Gogarbank and 264.0 mm at the botanic gardens in Edinburgh.

For Edinburgh Gogarbank, this was 168.1% of the winter 1981-2010 average whilst the botanic gardens in Edinburgh had 150.6% of its 1981-2010 average during the winter.

In addition to that, Edinburgh Gogarbank had 50 official rain days during the winter which was 137.7% of the 1981-2010 average whereas the botanic gardens in Edinburgh had 44 official rain days during the winter which was 132.1% of the 1981-2010 average.

This showed that we had a substantially wetter than average winter at both of those stations both in terms of the actual rainfall amounts, and in terms of the number of official rain days.

I can also confirm that during 2020 so far, Edinburgh Gogarbank has had a total of 256.0 mm of rain as at 9am on 1 March 2020 which is 33.9% of the 1981-2010 annual average, whilst the botanic gardens in Edinburgh has had a total of 215.0 mm of rain during 2020 so far as at 9am on 1 March 2020, which is 30.5% of the 1981-2010 average.

In addition to that, Edinburgh Gogarbank has had 36 official rain days so far during 2020 as at 9am on 1 March 2020 which is 26.2% of the 1981-2010 average whereas the botanic gardens in Edinburgh has had 32 official rain days during 2020 so far as at 9am on 1 March 2020 which is 25.8% of the 1981-2010 average.

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Double the usual rainfall in the SE too and things are really saturated. Given it’s the end of winter when soil moisture and groundwater are always highest anyway I wouldn’t be surprised if soil water levels are at record levels (if such a thing is measured). Certainly looks quite spectacular on the maps eg

https://edo.jrc.ec.europa.eu/edov2/php/index.php?id=1111 

http://wxmaps.org/pix/soil4 

Yesterday I visited the sloping field that’s due to be my future vineyard once I’ve subsoiled, ploughed and planted. It’s on chalk and I was convinced it was very free draining despite having flinty clay loam as topsoil. 10cm below the soil it’s flooded - standing water in any holes dug even halfway up the slope. Looks like I’ll have to install tile drainage too, but I’m hoping this is just very exceptional.

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 Phew impressive. We just need including 29th to see the final total. But looks amazing.

We’ve already come top to 28th and we can’t really include 29th February and compare it with the others in Kev’s table because 2020 is the only one that’s a leap year.  All the others only have 28 days.

Conversely, it also looks like February 2020 is among the top ten wettest months, which will include months with 30 and 31 days.  So the figures are very impressive!!  

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 I've just done a tot up of February's total rainfall recorded in my station here at Folkestone and it came to 108.4 mm. Above average but not exceptionally so, but is riding on the back of what has been an extra long and wet "Autumn".

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Final total here for February 2020 is 94.5mm (270% of average),  and is by far the wettest February I've ever recorded over nearly 40 years of records.  Previous wettest Feb here was in 2017 with 63mm.   

Certainly this February has been in a completely different league compared to any other I've experienced, quite remarkable how much wetter it's been compared to all other Februaries I've known.   In particular, Feb 9th (the day of Ciara) featured probably the most violent and intense squall line I've experienced at any time of the year, with around 12mm of rain and hail falling in a very short space of time.  For this to happen in February is just incredible. 

As far as the Winter overall is concerned, I recorded 182mm in total (134% average), so although a wet Winter, only the wettest here since 2014.

 

 

 

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Taking an average of my three local PWSs the total for Feb comes to 137.4mm which is 284% of the LTA for the month.

No wonder the garden is sodden and squelchy.  And as I type I can hear the rain pelting down outside and hitting the windowpanes.

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Wettest Februaries on record for England and Wales (mm)

~169 2020 

158.6 1833
152.7 1923
143.6 1950
143.2 1990
143.2 1977
142.1 1937

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Wettest Februaries on record for England and Wales (mm)

~169 2020 

158.6 1833
152.7 1923
143.6 1950
143.2 1990
143.2 1977
142.1 1937

My goodness - so we made the wettest February on record.

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