The wet and mild Winter weather continued into February, which was the windiest ever recorded, with temperatures and rainfall both well above average. There was an almost continual run of Atlantic low pressure systems, including the deepest low ever to pass over Bracken House.
The average temperature in the month was 5.5°C, 1.5°C higher than the February mean, but 0.5°C lower than 2011’s record. The maximum temperature was 11.3°C on the 23rd at 15:11, with the lowest temperature being -0.3°C on the 10th at 05:36, the only time the thermometer dropped below zero in the month. This was only the fourth frost day in 2014 so far, and the lowest number of frost days recorded in February. There were 62.7 hours of sunshine in the month, down on last year’s 66.5 hours, but 4.2 hours more than January. The average dew-point was 3.4°C, the average daily maximum temperature was 8.2°C and the average daily minimum temperature was 3.0°C.
Rainfall for the month was 54.0 millimetres, higher than the February average of 38.2 millimetres, but 7.8 millimetres below the 2011 record. There were 22 rain days, with the wettest being the 27th when 7.4 millimetres fell, 7.2 millimetres were recorded on the 11th. Measurable snow was only recorded on the 11th when one millimetre lay on the ground briefly. There has so far been snow on only two days this season, amounting to a paltry three millimetres. Evapotranspiration for the month was 24.3 millimetres, higher than the 16.7 millimetres of 2013.
February 2014 was the windiest month ever at this location. The strongest gust was 47.2 mph from 248° (WSW) on the 12th at 19:34, and the maximum wind speed was 31.1 mph from 248 °(WSW) at the same time. The average gust speed was 12.4 mph and the average wind speed was 8.2 mph, both station records. The wind run for February was 5288.2 miles, another station record.
The average barometric pressure was 993.8 millibars, a station record. The highest pressure recorded was 1011.7 millibars on the 26th at 18:05, and the lowest was 964.9 millibars on the 15th at 00:15, another station all time low.
Weather Underground graph for February 2014
