February was another of those months when the NAOi was
markedly negative, and yet the weather in the British Isles was
(after the first week) relentlessly Atlantic - simply because the
mean Icelandic low lay 7 or 8 degs of latitude south of its
long-term average position. The first week was dry and
sunny with warm days at first but then some very cold nights.
Following the brief wintry episode between the 7th and 10th
the weather was simply mild and very unsettled. For such a
disturbed month, the absence of any severe gale was
noteworthy (highest gust appears to have been 66kn on th
16th at South Uist in the Western Isles).

Mean pressure charts are now be available at:
Charts: http://www.climate-uk.com/monpre/0702.htm
The Monthly Review will shortly be uploaded to:
http://www.climate-uk.com/monthly/0702.htm
Graphs: http://www.climate-uk.com/graphs/0702.htm and
http://www.climate-uk.com/graphs/200702.htm
Not The Long Range Forecast will be found after 3 Mar at:
http://www.climate-uk.com/page4.html

The mean sea-level chart shows that the Icelandic Low was
more intense than usual (988 mbar) and located well south of its
normal position at 55N 40W. The Azores high (1022mbar) lay
well south of the island group at 31N 23W, while pressure was
also modestly high over NE Greenland and European Russia.

The sea-level pressure anomaly field showed below-
normal pressure across a broad band between latitudes
35N and 65N approx, extending from deep in Canada across
the entire Atlantic and Europe and well into Russia. Pressure
notably above normal in the Russian/Norwegian Arctic, and
more modestly above normal over the Atlantic to the west of
Madeira.

The main anomaly centres we
-13mbar mid-Atlantic at 52N 30W and nr Newfoundland
+9mbar in the northern Barents Sea
+4mbar southwest of Madeira

Over the British Isles pressure anomaly ranged from
-7mbar in Shetland to -11mbar over County Mayo.
The anomalous flow was W to SW south of lat 54degN,
and SE to E north of lat 54degN.

CET (after Manley) 6.05°C (+1.85 degC wrt 1971-2000)
making it the warmest since 2002 and the 13th warmest
in the last 100 years
CET (after Hadley) 6.0°C (+1.8 degC)
E&W Rain (provisional): 106.9mm (162% of 1971-2000 mean)
the highest since 2002 and the 14th highest in the last 100 yrs
E&W Sunshine (prov): 74.0 hr ( 97% of 1971-2000 mean)

CScotT: 5.5°C (+1.8 degC)
ScotRain: 89.4mm (139%)
ScotSun: 70.2hr ( 96%)

NIT: 6.2°C (+1.1 degC)
NI Rain: 126.5mm (130%)
NI Sun: 72.0hr ( 92%)

Rainfall totals ranged from 344.4mm at Princetown (Devon)
and 269.8mm at Inveruglas (Dunbartonshire) to 35.4mm at
Glenlivet (Banffshire) [flagged as probably erroneous - looks
too low] and 33.4mm at Durham [almost certainly erroneous]

Percentages ranged from 277 at Clerkenwell and 264 at
Hampstead (both London) to 51 at Glenlivet [flagged].

Sunshine totals ranged from 100.1h at Weymouth, Dorset
(CS recorder) to 42.8h at Lerwick, Shetland (KZ sensor).

Percentages ranged from 122 at Church Fenton (near York)
to 61 at Kirkwall (Orkney)

(c) Philip Eden