Met Office confirms last month was warmest February on RECORD in England and Wales – and one of wettest on record

Last month was officially the warmest February on record in England and Wales, the Met Office has confirmed.

The average temperature in England was a balmy 7.5°C – 0.5°C warmer than the previous record, set in 1990.

Wales, meanwhile, saw average temperatures of 6.9°C, slightly better than the 1998 record of 6.8°C.

If you felt like your umbrella was permanently stuck to your hand, you’re not wrong, as the Met Office says the past month has also been one of the wettest on record.

‘Despite a cold spell in the north in the first half of the month, the main theme of February is how persistently mild and wet it has been, especially in the south, and this is largely due to the influence of Atlantic low pressure systems. with a prevailing mild south-westerly flow,” said Met Office Senior Scientist Mike Kendon.

The average temperature in England was a balmy 7.5°C – 0.5°C warmer than the previous record set in 1990. Wales, meanwhile, saw an average temperature of 6.9°C, slightly higher than the 1998 record of 6. 8°C.

Britain had its second warmest February, with average temperatures of 6.3°C – just below the record high of 6.8°C in 1998.

Although temperatures were higher than normal across the country, it was particularly warm in the south.

More than 30 provinces – mainly in the south – recorded the highest temperatures in February, with some more than 3°C above the long-term February average.

The south of England also experienced its wettest February on record, with many parts receiving more than twice the average rainfall.

East Anglia in particular had both the warmest and wettest February on record.

A whopping 106.4mm of rain fell during the month, while the average temperature was 8.2°C.

Overall, Britain’s winter has been warm and wet, according to the Met Office.

In December, January and February the average temperature was 5.29°C, making it the fifth warmest winter on record.

There was 445.8 mm of precipitation in these three months – 29 percent more than the long-term average and the eighth wettest winter on record.

The south of England also experienced its wettest February on record, with many parts receiving more than twice the average rainfall

Britain had its second warmest February, with average temperatures of 6.3°C – just below the record high of 6.8°C in 1998

“It is clear from observations in Britain that winters are getting warmer, and also wetter, because as the atmosphere warms, it has a greater capacity to retain moisture,” Kendon said.

‘The top ten warmest winters on record for Britain include 2024, 2022, 2020, 2016 and 2014 and the top ten wettest 2024, 2020, 2016 and 2014 – so very mild winters also tend to be very wet.’

The Met Office says climate change is responsible for these record figures – and the worst is yet to come.

“Climate projections indicate that winters will continue to be wetter and summers drier on average, although natural variability will mean that we will continue to see individual years that do not follow this trend,” the report said.

‘As our atmosphere warms, it can hold more moisture, about 7% more per 1°C of warming.

‘This poses a risk of increasing frequency and longer duration of heavy rainfall in the future, especially in winter, if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise.’