Weather log February 2018

February 2018

Lwn = Llanwnnen
CC= Capel Curig
LL = Long Lawford
CL= Church Lawford
MH= Milford Haven
WW= West Wales
srb = since records began

Sat 3rd start of a cold spell..rain and sleet Midlands, some wintriness in showers parts of WW (max Nottingham 2.7c, CL 3.0c, Hereford 6.6c, CC 5.3c, Pembrey 8.1c)

Rather cold with milder interludes first 3 weeks; rather unsettled but drier interludes:

Proper mild spell just past mid month...max  Mon19th Shobdon 13.1c, Mumbles 12.5c, Aberporth 9.2c

Into final week, cold frosty nights, sunny days varying cold to average. Sunshine virtually unbroken WW and Marches Fri 23rd (Lwn est 9 hrs, Aberporth 8.8 hrs, Shobdon 8.0 hrs)

Sat 24th unbroken sun widely (Valley 9.7 hrs, Aberporth 9.6 hrs. Lwn 9.5 hrs, Wellesbourne 9.6 hrs). Coldest place in Wales overnight rather unusually Mona min -5.5c (Lwn -3.1c)

Sun 25th unbroken bright shine for many, Lwn 10 hours est (sunniest day since July 24th 2017 at 11 hours). Coventry sunniest Feb day (9.3 hrs) since 1995 (9.4 hrs). Elsewhere Aberdaron & Valley 10.1 hrs (sunniest in UK), Wellesbourne 10.o hrs, Nottingham & Shobdon 9.8 hrs.

Very cold 'Beast from the East' to end the month 850hpa temperatures as low as -17c across England 28th:

Tue 27th scattered snow showers, a longer spell of snow in the morning WW gave up to 10cm (Llanwnnen 6cm temporary covering midday). Very cold maxima CL 0.0c, CC 0.1c, Hereford 2.2c, Valley 3.5c

Wed 28th exceptionally cold for very end of Feb. Minima -8.6c, Tirabad, -7.8c CL, -7.6c Lwn, -4.4c MH, Mona-3.7c.  Further snow showers in places generally not amounting to much. Coventry max -1.6c had its coldest Feb day since 1991 (-2.7c). Lwn max -0.3c, Feb record srb 2006 (max 1.6c 22/2/13). Other maxima: Tirabad -2.9c, Aberporth -0.1c, Valley 1.3c, Nottingham -2.5c, Coleshill -1.7c, Pershore 0.0c.

Widely below -7c by mid evening with a breeze up to 20mph here at Lwn

Ice day Feb 28th 2018

Monthly summary Feb 2018

Rather cold, rather dry/ dry and sunny


UK wise Feb was second sunniest since 1929 see:
http://www.xmetman.com/wp/2018/03/06/second-sunniest-winter-and-february-since-1929/

Rainfall totals

Valley 57.2mm (105%)
Mach PWS 65.3mm
Abermeurig, Talsarn PWS 56.9mm
Llanwnnen 74.1mm (74%)
Llanelli PWS 52.3mm
Lawrenny PWS 43.7mm
MH 55.2mm

Coleshill 30.6mm (70%)
Bulkington PWS 26.7mm
Coventry, Bablake School 30.0mm
Long Lawford 24.4mm (60%)
CL 24.6mm (62%)
Dunchurch PWS 23mm
Crick PWS 20.8mm
Daventry PWS c. 22mm
Radford Semele PWS 30mm
Alvechurch PWS 28.1mm (53%)
Harborne PWS 34mm
Edgebaston PWS 27mm
Hereford 24.6mm (53%)

Sunshine totals:

Valley 115.4 hr (144%)
Aberdaron 111.0 hr
Aberporth 85.6 hr
Lwn 96 hr (150%)

Nottingham 80.5 hr
Shawbury 84.2 hr (126%)
Shobdon 100.0 hr
Coventry, Bablake 110.1 hr (140%)



Nature notes

Mid month quite a few Daffs and Celandine coming out.
17th splendid Song Thrush dusk chorus Llanybydder (mildest day of the month max 10.3c).
Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming past few mornings.
Chaffinch singing mid month.

Severe cold end of month, Siskin and Goldfinch that feed on niger seeds and in a neighbours garden all disappeared just before the cold onset 26th.
28th exceptionally cold, many birds feeding along roadside verges and banks that caught sun including many Redwing, a few fatalities observed, these birds getting desperate..
Daffs been on hold past week and taking a battering with cold and snow some flattened. Most not yet in bloom

Winter 2017/18

Temperatures and rainfall generally quite close to average, sunny

Second sunniest UK Winter since 1929 (see above link) with 123% of average

Llanwnnen:

Temperatures and rainfall close to average; sunny thanks to February


Total rainfall 417.8mm, 107% of 1916-50 average for nearby Falcondale, Lampeter and 95% of the 2006-18 average here.
Mean temperature 4.6c exactly average (2006-18).
Estimated sun 202 hrs (139%).


Dec average rain, Jan rather wet, Feb rather dry
Dec mild, Jan rather mild, Feb rather cold

Dec and Jan slightly above ave sun; Feb sunny

Long Lawford 184.4mm (123%)
Church Lawford: 175.4mm (115%)

Coventry, Bablake School:

Mean temp 4.3c (-0.2c)
Rainfall: 194.0mm (117%)
Sunshine: 236.6 hr (119%)