It’s official: this is NI’s wettest February since records began – and it isn’t even over yet

This month is the wettest February in Northern Ireland since records began – even though there are still a few days left to go.
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The Met Office has told the News Letter that, averaged across its roughly 20 sites in Northern Ireland, the total rain that has fallen from February 1, up to and including February 25, is 195.1mm.

This is 234% of the typical average February rainfall for the Province (with 83.5mm being the average monthly total).

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For comparison, Northern Ireland’s previous wettest February was in 1990, when an average of 194.4mm of rain fell across the month.

A flooded playground in Portstewart on the night of February 10, after Storm Ciara breached defensive sea walls; the Met Office has said the planet’s changing climate risks more extreme weather events – and that the UK is expected to have wetter wintersA flooded playground in Portstewart on the night of February 10, after Storm Ciara breached defensive sea walls; the Met Office has said the planet’s changing climate risks more extreme weather events – and that the UK is expected to have wetter winters
A flooded playground in Portstewart on the night of February 10, after Storm Ciara breached defensive sea walls; the Met Office has said the planet’s changing climate risks more extreme weather events – and that the UK is expected to have wetter winters

And before that it was 1923, when an average of 178.3mm of rain fell.

The Met Office’s records go back as far as 1862.

The agency’s Emma Salter said that, looking at it county by county, it appeared Co Tyrone and Co Fermanagh had been the wettest of the Province – with Co Down having been the least wet.

She added that northern England has likewise had its wettest February on record, with heavy deluges across the UK throughout the duration of the month.

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However, temperature-wise, Northern Ireland has had a fairly mild month, with an average daily maximum reading of 7.8C.

The average maximum temperature for the Province for the month is 7.4C.

Whilst the month to date has been a record-breakingly soggy spell, Matthew Box, a forecaster with the Met Office, said more rain is on its way.

Friday is going to be “not torrential but reasonably wet”, with “a bit of hill sleet” as well – and more rain is expected in the small hours of Saturday.

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Water levels in Lough Neagh are currently reportedly very high. SDLP councillor Declan McAlinden said the Rivers Agency “have installed flood barriers to prevent the local businesses from being flooded similar to 2016”.

Looking more broadly at the UK’s climate, the Met Office says there is “a trend towards wetter winters and drier summers on average”.

It said: “Several indicators in the latest UK State of the Climate report show that the UK’s climate is becoming wetter.

“For example the highest rainfall totals over a five-day period are 4% higher during the most recent decade (2008-2017) compared to 1961-1990.

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“Furthermore, the amount of rain from extremely wet days has increased by 17% when comparing the same time periods.”

The agency added that “change in rainfall depends on your location – for example, changes are largest for Scotland and not significant for most southern and eastern areas of England”.