Submitted by Bill Caulfeild-Browne
This will be an abbreviated report as I was away most of the month and thus can offer no subjective observations.
The month was cooler than most recent Februaries but at -5.2C it was still 1.5C above the long-term norm. The lowest the mercury sank to was -14.4C on the 1st and the highest – almost a spring thaw – was +6.8C on the 25th.
Winds were very high in the first week and again around the 17th – accompanied by blizzard conditions and multiple road closures. Precipitation appeared to be lower than normal but that is likely because high winds just blew moisture right across the rain collector.
It was a very poor month for sunshine – the second lowest in the last decade – but March has started out with a succession of bright sunny day, perhaps to make up for it.
As I write this on March 9th, spring is in the air, though I wouldn’t put away your winter clothing yet!
