A mainly cyclonic type lasted until the 10th, but the remainder
of February was generally anticyclonic. It ranked 19th most
'northerly' for February in 137 years of records.

The temperature régime was slightly out of phase with the
circulation types, with cold weather dominant until the 12th in
western districts and until the 14th in eastern regions. Overall,
though, the mild second half more than offset the cold first
half (except in parts of SW England). It was a wet month in
southern England, but a very dry one in Wales, northwest
England, western Scotland and Northern Ireland. There was
marked shortage of sunshine in most parts of the country.

Mean pressure charts have already been uploaded to:
Charts: http://www.climate-uk.com/monpre/0902.htm
The Monthly Review will be uploaded later today or tomorrow to:
http://www.climate-uk.com/monthly/0902.htm
Graphs: http://www.climate-uk.com/graphs/0902.htm and
http://www.climate-uk.com/graphs/200902.htm
Not The Long Range Forecast should be available by Mar 4 on:
http://www.climate-uk.com/page4.html

The sea-level pressure chart shows the Icelandic low well to the SW
of its normal position at 57N 44W, and about as deep as normal at
999mbar. Pressure was also relatively low of northwest Norway
(1005mbar), in trhe southern Baltic (1011mbar) and in the central
Mediterranean (1011mbar). The sub-tropical Atlantic high was
centred well to the SW of the Azores at 1022mbar but there was a
further centred in the Southwest Approaches at 1018 mbar. Pressure
was also quite high (1017mbar) over northeast Greenland. A gentle
west to northwesterly gradient covered the British Isles.

At the 500 mbar level there were troughs in the western Atlantic
and over eastern Europe, and a ridge at about 10-15degW.

The sea-level pressure anomaly field was weaker than in recent
months (a consequence of being a "month of two halves") but
pressure was above the long-term mean over much of the
Atlantic north of 35-40degN, and below normal over most of
Europe.

The main anomaly centres we
+7mbar west of Ireland
+7mbar over eastern Greenland
+7mbar in the Kara Sea
- 7nbar over western Ukraine
- 4mbar near Gibraltar
- 4bar over the Canadian Maritimes

Over the British Isles pressure anomaly ranged from +5mbar
along the west coast of Ireland to zero in Kent, and the anomalous
flow was NNE-ly.

CET (after Manley) 4.19°C (equal to the 1971-2000 mean)
CET (after Hadley) prob 4.2 or 4.3°C
E&W Rain (provisional): 54.5mm ( 82% of 1971-2000 mean)
E&W Sunshine (prov): 62.3hr ( 81% of 1971-2000 mean)

In most regions it was the coldest (or, perhaps, least warm)
February since 2006.

CScotT: 4.5°C (+0.7degC)
ScotRain: 54mm ( 83 %)
ScotSun: 54hr ( 81 %)

NIT: 5.6°C (+0.5degC)
NI Rain: 41mm ( 72 %)
NI Sun: 61hr ( 90 %)

Rainfall totals ranged from 186mm at Princetown (Devon)
to just 8mm at Valley (Anglesey), 13mm at Crosby (nr
Liverpool) and 14mm at Rhyl (Flintshire).

Percentages ranged from 187 at Heathrow (London)
to 13 at Valley.

Sunshine totals ranged from 85.6h at Guernsey airport
to 29.1h at Kirkwall (Orkney).

Percentages ranged from 101 at Guernsey to 41 at
Kirkwall.

(c) Philip Eden